tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21264254295976372602024-03-13T04:28:56.625-05:00Cardinal Diamond DiariesCardinals baseball chatter from the female side of the dugoutAngela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-35259334418579587542011-04-15T08:00:00.002-05:002011-04-15T08:20:56.422-05:00Moving Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://renttucson.us/wp-content/themes/thesis_17/custom/Summit-Vista/images/moving-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://renttucson.us/wp-content/themes/thesis_17/custom/Summit-Vista/images/moving-box.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When Erika and I got this crazy idea to start a blog at the beginning of last season, we had no idea what kind of crazy journey we were setting out on. Since then we have <a href="http://www.baseballdigest.com/2010/05/11/baseball-digest-conversation-cardinal-diamond-diaries/">been interviewed</a>, been on the radio, joined <a href="http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com/">UCB</a>, were able to meet with many other UCB members during Opening Weekend of this year, and much more. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We've been through the ups and downs, both with the team and with writing. Our own team here on CDD has gone through a few changes as well. But we're ready to take a new, fresh step:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We're moving.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For those of you that have gotten used to typing in our ridiculously long IP address, sorry, it's changing. For those of you that saved us in your bookmarks, sorry, time to update. For those of you that want something short and sweet to remember us by, check out <a href="http://diamonddiaries.net/">DiamondDiaries.net</a>! We've put a lot of work into the new site already, despite the fact that we're still going to be tweaking little things here and there with our older posts over the next few days/weeks, but we're also ready to start over.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For those of you that have been here with us since day one and those of you that have found our site just recently, we thank you for your support. We hope to see you over at the new, shiny place soon!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Okay, we're done. From now on, go to <a href="http://diamonddiaries.net/">DiamondDiaries.net</a>!</span>Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-57758377546940165462011-04-14T10:55:00.000-05:002011-04-14T10:55:22.324-05:00Enter Eduardo...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyV_Yc43LWRNAXUvyoLeazwsmiBQAOplrBjQllbRJvMQe0F9CplXV3vKIE39f9pIpfqTwERvIiqGSK_nyp0JN6G-l9o2BowCGHiRGotytRlOyvTbQq_sQYaCYSFruJIaTG0sWKw6_vNhL/s1600/Berkman+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyV_Yc43LWRNAXUvyoLeazwsmiBQAOplrBjQllbRJvMQe0F9CplXV3vKIE39f9pIpfqTwERvIiqGSK_nyp0JN6G-l9o2BowCGHiRGotytRlOyvTbQq_sQYaCYSFruJIaTG0sWKw6_vNhL/s200/Berkman+%252812%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berkman</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Cardinals stomped all over the Diamondbacks yesterday in a 15-5 blow-out that included a Grand Slam from Lovable Lance (Berkman) and a 3-run blast by Skip "SkipperDoodle" Schumaker. Last night was game 6 of a 10-game West coast road trip (late night games make for sleepy mornings) and the trouncing came as a welcome relief to tired Cardinal fans. Truth be told, sleep won the fight in the 6th inning for me; but with a hefty15-5 Cardinal lead, I easily drifted off to happy dreams. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning I fired up the DVR to watch the rest of the game unfold. After 6 innings of heavy hitting, a scoreless 3 innings piqued my curiosity. Sure enough, there was a diamond hidden in those zeros...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgC29OmKpAnu_v7UCwAkbuD2C3NNpPRkkPEtIxlLunt87njC29xHG7h0ByAjcBvBBZ9Qi8H116N-a6nKLl5wNvVmdXumrH4GeyGnqCcLtd58G2MhyLTH3nFR0ORyE7accSKxQ0onFb0Ym/s1600/Augenstein+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgC29OmKpAnu_v7UCwAkbuD2C3NNpPRkkPEtIxlLunt87njC29xHG7h0ByAjcBvBBZ9Qi8H116N-a6nKLl5wNvVmdXumrH4GeyGnqCcLtd58G2MhyLTH3nFR0ORyE7accSKxQ0onFb0Ym/s200/Augenstein+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Augenstein</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter baby bird, Eduardo Sanchez! This rookie, called up from Memphis when injuries during Tuesday's game sent Cardinal relief pitchers Bryan Augenstein and Brian Tallet to the disabled list, had a night to remember in his Major League debut!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa6cIKhnOWHwo9JAnxEkhmkCc4dSl0e-sY7TfTTLGhDH7PIc4jr9ZMqw0bJ8-AjU452rQ35XFKY-ULwyARoumXVNtcS4NnqFKAg9NbaohXUP5UPVG50wdjt2nPEQOIV_oVScElVk-cSQq/s1600/sanchez+fsmw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa6cIKhnOWHwo9JAnxEkhmkCc4dSl0e-sY7TfTTLGhDH7PIc4jr9ZMqw0bJ8-AjU452rQ35XFKY-ULwyARoumXVNtcS4NnqFKAg9NbaohXUP5UPVG50wdjt2nPEQOIV_oVScElVk-cSQq/s320/sanchez+fsmw.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanchez Debut</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanchez took the mound at the start of the 8th and stayed through the 9th to shut it down. Facing a mere 7 batters to get the job done, Sanchez struck out 5 with ease. Total pitches: 18,13 for strikes. Confidence, delivery and strength from a 155 pound, 5'11" rookie in his big league debut - that was MUST SEE baseball!! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to the club, Eduardo Sanchez! We'll be looking forward to seeing you again soon!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Cardinals head to LA to face the Dodgers tonight, in the first of a 4-game series. Here's to the theory that hitting is contagious and the Cardinal confidence continues to build... ;)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go Cards!!</span></div><div><br />
</div><div> </div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-73130370153138123082011-04-11T21:18:00.001-05:002011-04-11T21:20:16.685-05:00An Epiphany Of SortsSo early in tonight's game, as I stared in disbelief at Albert Pujols hitting into his seventh double play of the season, I had an epiphany, courtesy of friend of the site Bob Netherton (@throatwarbler). He threw out this thought...<br />
<blockquote>To put this in perspective, Jack Clark hit into 179 double plays in his 18 year career. 6 of those were partial years. Albert 209 in 10. In 2 1/2 years in St. Louis, Clark only hit into 19 double plays. That shows you what the running game can do.</blockquote>Hmm... the running game. Of course, seeing a hit and run executed by Kyle McClellan and Yadier Molina of all people makes me chuckle even more, but also makes me think. Obviously, the Cardinals are not a strong running team. Not. At. All. Why should they be? Enough of the players have pop in their bats (Pujols, Holliday, Rasmus, Berkman) and are capable of putting one over the wall, so why put runners on the move and risk easy double plays or chances to double guys off?<br />
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Umm, because the entire team is hitting into way too many double plays?<br />
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Why not try it Tony? Guys are getting on base in front of Pujols. Let them run. Let them dance on the basepaths. Get the pitchers distracted, because distraction = mistakes and mistakes = long, beautiful home runs leaving the park.<br />
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Just a thought. Don't mind me... ;)Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-79376748236283165632011-04-11T10:00:00.000-05:002011-04-11T10:00:54.845-05:00Signs of Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRhzyvVEbAvEfvWSzYdkPWtlsCmqHtEhszzUzP1lryAui77Szf3Ih7WnuMy4111Ai3SZ_pH_43WrzxAPKlMkOxbgBoys32N9uzozKgqZPRn983bUnu4hO9Z8VBpZxYFQRbbjW_TFlY1_U/s1600/baby+frustrated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRhzyvVEbAvEfvWSzYdkPWtlsCmqHtEhszzUzP1lryAui77Szf3Ih7WnuMy4111Ai3SZ_pH_43WrzxAPKlMkOxbgBoys32N9uzozKgqZPRn983bUnu4hO9Z8VBpZxYFQRbbjW_TFlY1_U/s200/baby+frustrated.jpg" width="184" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Nine games in the early 2011 season have left our Cardinals floundering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some fans have already thrown in the towel in disgust, heading off in search of less painful entertainment options. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But yesterday, others who donned their “true fan” label as a badge of courage were rewarded to what we can only hope will be more typical (winning) Cardinal baseball.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The record is not pretty at 3 wins and 6 losses, but the Cards have had some strikes against them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most obvious has been lack of run support coupled with costly fielding errors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leading the league in double plays (not the defensive kind) hasn’t helped much either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there’s Albert…. With a string of unAlbertlike games and a batting average of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.143, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is it any wonder that Cardinal fans are wondering if we all fell down the rabbit hole?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_35pmePbu8c-QNTIhOuhZRnyVK8mZssd7UkxWNl0Uj5wxt48k_TJe6pK4fK0lxl6EA_SGOCV_t5VUQVV4vkBR8OMY2mqgvnkiTWN3DDj5gVKXejKia8z634dZSZLKLSuFLi41FUsMDB8/s1600/Holliday+swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_35pmePbu8c-QNTIhOuhZRnyVK8mZssd7UkxWNl0Uj5wxt48k_TJe6pK4fK0lxl6EA_SGOCV_t5VUQVV4vkBR8OMY2mqgvnkiTWN3DDj5gVKXejKia8z634dZSZLKLSuFLi41FUsMDB8/s200/Holliday+swing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There are, however, signs of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slugger Matt Holliday returned yesterday, 9 days after his emergency appendectomy, showing he was back and ready for action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David Freese belted his first homerun and collected his first 3 rbi of the season, helping the Cardinals score their inaugural “6 serious runs.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kyle Lohse, showing strength and command, went 8 full innings with no walks, 5 strikeouts and only 5 hits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He threw 96 pitches, 65 for strikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Couple that with previous stellar early outings by Jaime Garcia and Chris Carpenter (whose records are unfortunately tarnished by lack of run support) and a strong showing from Kyle McClellan - and we have reason to hope this is just an unlucky/slow start.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIkbB_Pzh02TfrUoWDSBcept-Hf6tpdhLexff3LvWsQVMaLNBgUjG8S0S0-WtJfug2GW0TBF-p6sq_pr8xCiiU0P1ncowyS5vOFMyoa8SqrkmvoYWgd9kdfv5pqydlbb76BtZMiQgTtQl/s1600/Kyle+Lohse+%25282%2529+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIkbB_Pzh02TfrUoWDSBcept-Hf6tpdhLexff3LvWsQVMaLNBgUjG8S0S0-WtJfug2GW0TBF-p6sq_pr8xCiiU0P1ncowyS5vOFMyoa8SqrkmvoYWgd9kdfv5pqydlbb76BtZMiQgTtQl/s200/Kyle+Lohse+%25282%2529+2.JPG" width="159" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Two of my favorite bloggers have taken the high road from all the grumblings and cussing about the comedy of errors we have witnessed lately from our hobbling redbirds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you need to be nudged away from the ledge, I highly recommend stopping by their sites for a positive reality check.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bob at On the Outside Corner posts <a href="http://ontheoutsidecorner.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/there-must-be-a-pony-in-here-somewhere/">“There Must Be A Pony In There Somewhere”</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And Mark at Retrosimba reminds us of the many, many years that our “<a href="http://retrosimba.com/2011/04/10/cards-turned-bad-starts-into-great-seasons/">Cards Turned Bad Starts Into Great Seasons</a>.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sure, one good game does not a rally make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Cardinals are not dead and buried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So chin up, Cardinal Nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are signs of life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The boys continue their western road trip tonight against the Diamondbacks with Kyle McClellan on the mound at 8:40 CT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You never know what baseball magic you may see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So tune in with us and watch the rally continue!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Go Cards!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-43189790104402532012011-04-08T13:28:00.000-05:002011-04-08T13:28:25.171-05:00More Fun at Busch Stadium<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I finally had some time to sit down and write about the first-class Cardinal Bloggers Event hosted last weekend by the St. Louis Cardinals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experience was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so much fun </i>that I had to split it up into two posts! Yesterday I touched on our meeting with John Mozeliak and the thrill of walking into the administrative offices as well as the wonderful time we had mingling with other Cardinal bloggers/writers in <i><a href="http://cardinaldiamonddiaries.blogspot.com/2011/04/cardinal-hospitality.html">Cardinal Hospitality</a></i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today I want to share some other stories that made the event even more memorable for me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_OWgE7xGt1zDeX10tgMOEgLyn2aaCHPqzGYflmxc1ryOodY6In50X1xTegMgf1VCZUrUe4nRtK_MX0PNOF154EoNQWVZzEHer6cIVZrZSMkdOpNeRt65cwW_uj40UGvXc5K0HLOa5mg0/s1600/me+in+press+box+at+Busch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_OWgE7xGt1zDeX10tgMOEgLyn2aaCHPqzGYflmxc1ryOodY6In50X1xTegMgf1VCZUrUe4nRtK_MX0PNOF154EoNQWVZzEHer6cIVZrZSMkdOpNeRt65cwW_uj40UGvXc5K0HLOa5mg0/s200/me+in+press+box+at+Busch.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Visiting the Busch stadium press-box <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">during a game</i> has topped my list of curious places behind the scenes of Cardinal baseball. (Okay, visiting the clubhouse right after the game would be numero uno.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A gal can dream, can’t she?!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>n my mind, I’ve had a picture of what the press-box scene might look like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the chance to discover if the scribes bicker out loud (instead of just across twitter) or if there are piles of pizza boxes or taco trash in the corner was a whole bucket of exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMy5-Ps86vti6lBnkj2njpe8tzW8nmsjfgpdxdaBm_EgfgTcoumWUdxxCoA6TVdSlKpx78REoviGhP4uvLlZEY-ulOHvJgjMLhB161eiC4dwnp5Yks1TB9gxSvGI3VX9_g2YllzG9oHQt/s1600/pip+in+press+box+with+John.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMy5-Ps86vti6lBnkj2njpe8tzW8nmsjfgpdxdaBm_EgfgTcoumWUdxxCoA6TVdSlKpx78REoviGhP4uvLlZEY-ulOHvJgjMLhB161eiC4dwnp5Yks1TB9gxSvGI3VX9_g2YllzG9oHQt/s200/pip+in+press+box+with+John.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">One of my favorite highlights from Sunday’s Blogger Event at Busch was an impromptu tour of the press-box!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As luck would have it, I caught up with Matthew “Pip” Philip, editor and principal writer for Fungoes.com, when he stopped by the party suite for some food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I asked where he was off to next, Pip replied that he was heading back to the press box, and I (of course) jumped at the chance to ask him for a tour (not at all shy when it comes to opportunities like that!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pip was awesome and happy to oblige.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I grabbed Hubby and we wandered back through the stadium with Pip, past the guard at the door to the press box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Guarded to keep potentially overexcited fans like me from interrupting a broadcast by cheering “AttaBoy Hunky!!!” too loud from the booth?... I’m just guessing.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXUsRGJerzAOSvbYQTLkE4H2-nyH13B2Hw3D5ExPK6alOL-y9zjEgByXaSCVuSZaKEEFFkJa1CyT_AA-oOQ9n3rGKyEvQrgs3pgdx0R3xMcKOc7_J_TeqRYnW7wW2uNrvpaI2rEQhGpnN/s1600/press+box+seating+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXUsRGJerzAOSvbYQTLkE4H2-nyH13B2Hw3D5ExPK6alOL-y9zjEgByXaSCVuSZaKEEFFkJa1CyT_AA-oOQ9n3rGKyEvQrgs3pgdx0R3xMcKOc7_J_TeqRYnW7wW2uNrvpaI2rEQhGpnN/s200/press+box+seating+chart.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Anyway… Hubby and I quietly behaved ourselves in the press-box corridor while Pip took care of some MLB.com datacasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was training a woman on the process for entering data for MLB Game Day/ MLB At Bat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I’d always wondered how that happened…. now I know!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">One of the funny things about the press box was the seating chart posted on the wall as you enter the corridor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminded me of elementary school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Everyone find your chair!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaVEVQy7qHerTkRXqtGOZBtp42CBHFxPQ-Qxmyq_CYsbOju6OxOPr56Z8Umsu-g_ZqECixXiXC01zj2cU9c8BEuymUpj6cb8Fp71l3yLUrb2rboL-xpwq4hHII3LWL1P0ZUXWCTeAU4et/s1600/press+box+press.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaVEVQy7qHerTkRXqtGOZBtp42CBHFxPQ-Qxmyq_CYsbOju6OxOPr56Z8Umsu-g_ZqECixXiXC01zj2cU9c8BEuymUpj6cb8Fp71l3yLUrb2rboL-xpwq4hHII3LWL1P0ZUXWCTeAU4et/s200/press+box+press.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Hubby and I wandered up to the 2<sup>nd</sup> level of chairs (with permission, of course) and sat to watch some of the game from that glorious birds-eye view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among the dozen or so men in the seats below us I recognized Bernie Miklasz (sorting his itunes library), Derrick Goold, Rick Hummel and BJ Rains with his dad, Rob Rains, one row behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were all quietly watching the games or casually typing on their computers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I assumed would be a glorified man cave was actually pristinely clean and orderly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No piles of stadium food littered the desks or corners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And honestly the box felt like a library, very quiet with only occasional hushed talking as crowd noise drifted in through an open window. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another curiosity was seeing Matthew Leach (MLB.com reporter) sitting alone in a darker room full of desk cubbies across the hall from the elevated press-box seats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had the chance to ask him about this later in the afternoon…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZvFyMIX6_CFqG8QxQ4R2KQRUaW5FoMXoiTmUEBn0UxsDvgPThFzZFqEP4KaSYdqrYN25GT25Y_tqPinM7PCpTsKmOOKDGugviNmGjil4L6kaTa5_orAR8xLPco8xRZd2DgJ8I4ynOwdf/s1600/press+box+tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZvFyMIX6_CFqG8QxQ4R2KQRUaW5FoMXoiTmUEBn0UxsDvgPThFzZFqEP4KaSYdqrYN25GT25Y_tqPinM7PCpTsKmOOKDGugviNmGjil4L6kaTa5_orAR8xLPco8xRZd2DgJ8I4ynOwdf/s320/press+box+tour.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Pip returned to give us a fabulous quick tour of the press-box (honestly, there’s not all that much to tour, but he did it up right!) He even let me snag a few of the game notes and information pages provided for the press who use that area. Score one for random baseball souvenirs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether he knew it or not, Pip made a dream come true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was wonderful and the staff in the press box were warm and welcoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">We managed to find our way back to the UCB suites to enjoy more of Jaime Garcia’s unbelievable complete game shutout (wow!) with the other bloggers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Towards the end of the game, Matthew Leach made an appearance in the suites and hung out to meet everyone and talk about the Cardinals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5hYBvVcOclE9BYtJ5d73tI-scxG7oY2WUIu0Ws4IDQhOnP9oqJe_stHFPcmgSqY0tAA3S8NXVx8xAZr5GiqXhA2_8zC9D0_zWIRR3hfXhSr1FDq7dWv5F9dmQ_vLqHyhdaneoZfBxQab/s1600/leach+in+UCB+suite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5hYBvVcOclE9BYtJ5d73tI-scxG7oY2WUIu0Ws4IDQhOnP9oqJe_stHFPcmgSqY0tAA3S8NXVx8xAZr5GiqXhA2_8zC9D0_zWIRR3hfXhSr1FDq7dWv5F9dmQ_vLqHyhdaneoZfBxQab/s320/leach+in+UCB+suite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">When the game ended and the employees politely tried to move our chattering UCB group on our way, Matthew Leach kindly hung out with several of us in the concourse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed my chance to ask him pretty much any and every question I’d wanted to ask him over the past few years… about his job and the Cardinals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was great about it and I learned a lot.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">For instance….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">The reason he was alone in a dark room in the press box?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leach wasn’t reporting on the Cardinals game that day and was instead working on a different article for MLB.com….while watching a tennis match.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">He explained his process of taking notes during a game in order to quickly put the details together into an entertaining and informative game recap.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Matthew has been working in baseball for 10 years now, and yes, it does get tiring, especially when traveling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">He has authored one book (I didn’t know this) titled “The Game of My Life, St. Louis Cardinals,” but it is out of print and costs anywhere from $86 to $297 online now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, it must be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">REALLY</i> good book!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 39.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">He gets a lot of questions for his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mailbag</i>, but current/timely questions are sometimes hard to come by. So when he sends out a request for questions, he really does need them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIdBfnxtHJ14aSh8JLduV1vI64gFtB-UYcIxjTmq2fSto_w2vOplweAdS56YO6wPgCYnxt4Mr8XOlfSAtfjW6RVh6pKdLshWpfU-3XaXJWwOWAtEZCJNix98B-ZoreBjiFnXQpaPqLV0r/s1600/leach+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIdBfnxtHJ14aSh8JLduV1vI64gFtB-UYcIxjTmq2fSto_w2vOplweAdS56YO6wPgCYnxt4Mr8XOlfSAtfjW6RVh6pKdLshWpfU-3XaXJWwOWAtEZCJNix98B-ZoreBjiFnXQpaPqLV0r/s320/leach+and+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">I also “peppered” Mr. Leach (<a href="http://welcometobaseballheaven.com/">Dustin McClure</a>’s words, not mine) with questions about some of my favorite Baby Birds such as Daniel Descalso including how long Matthew expects him to stick with the big club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I verified that no, Matthew Leach is not a Cardinal fan and asked how he can spend so much time covering the Cardinals with such excitement and interest, yet not be a fan. Then I finally couldn’t help myself and brought up the topic of one of my favorites, former Cardinal shortstop Brendan Ryan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew agreed that it was hard to understand how Brendan would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be surprised</i> that his former teammates were frustrated by his antics when it was quite obvious to many around the clubhouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I’d had a tape recorder so that I could remember everything we discussed, but it was the most fun to talk to someone with that much experience and such a close connection to our team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matthew Leach was great to meet and kindly stayed for all of our questions and discussions, joking about how hard he is to reach otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(He is,in fact, extremely easy to reach and is quick to respond on Twitter as well as answer reader questions in his MLB/Cardinals blog, <i><a href="http://yourenotagolfer.mlblogs.com/">Obviously, You’re Not a Golfer</a></i>.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgpsC2Yfhbr4-4lAsc9Lhe8dFjsCBiILNLfWXYA_NGLbIJnEA4lgPBk8dt_uhI7bTtlMlM7HQGlbBCflSpSFOZRZkGgNLpg86B6zskpQNTL_xRGm1lLjYwLw1Nh8ZzwR0pWSVMdYEi5_o/s1600/UCB+postgame+at+Paddy+Os.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgpsC2Yfhbr4-4lAsc9Lhe8dFjsCBiILNLfWXYA_NGLbIJnEA4lgPBk8dt_uhI7bTtlMlM7HQGlbBCflSpSFOZRZkGgNLpg86B6zskpQNTL_xRGm1lLjYwLw1Nh8ZzwR0pWSVMdYEi5_o/s320/UCB+postgame+at+Paddy+Os.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christine, Chris, Justin, Dustin, Dathan and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">After the doors were shut and the stadium was quieting down, a small group of us leftover UCBers made the hike out of the stadium, past the players’ parking lot… where we paused to try and identify some vehicles in true fan fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued on to Paddy O’s where we soaked up some postgame excitement along with our refreshments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being from <st1:state w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:state>, I rarely get to celebrate a win, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:city>, </i>surrounded by a crowd of Cardinal fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was wonderfully fun and the perfect ending to a fabulous gathering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Thanks again to the St. Louis Cardinals for hosting the event; Molly and Kathy for their hard work in setting it all up and their hospitality; Melody Yount, Derek Throneburg and especially John Mozeliak for giving the UCB a memorable event at Busch Stadium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks also to the staff in the suites who made us all comfortable and provided us with great food, drinks and service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my special thanks to the two Matthews, Philip and Leach, for adding so much to my experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">It was especially wonderful to meet everyone that I associate with my Cardinals, from twitter and blogs to the guys behind the MLB tools I use daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">The Cardinals begin the first of their 10 games on the road today as they face the San Francisco Giants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Game time is early today at 3:35pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Go Cards!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>=)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-34006970297300921842011-04-07T14:06:00.003-05:002011-04-07T16:38:17.980-05:00Cardinal Hospitality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgZCxi2cHeoJxKukmPZM0YgQOHAy3Y3ZP8I1EvpSljSOVeaSXLdeJtOnoQzOdgrZVq5h2m91d-myJAb2EOEEYeF-Nirlj35WxjBrCtRpAaeNrY3qYet9B_bmOwPv4MKi8GtrsTqau3Qbn/s1600/IMG_2198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghgZCxi2cHeoJxKukmPZM0YgQOHAy3Y3ZP8I1EvpSljSOVeaSXLdeJtOnoQzOdgrZVq5h2m91d-myJAb2EOEEYeF-Nirlj35WxjBrCtRpAaeNrY3qYet9B_bmOwPv4MKi8GtrsTqau3Qbn/s200/IMG_2198.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Last Sunday I was pretty hyped to be in a party suite at Busch Stadium, watching the game with 25-30 other Cardinal bloggers/writers <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">as guests of the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:city> Cardinals!</i></b> My adventure started back in March when an email invitation to the 2011 Blogger Event arrived in my inbox, R.S.V.P. required. Needless to say, that decision was a no-brainer. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqngbYeKPIk1GA7N9LtLib9iqZZTXRxQW6SfEpHUNeONBoAR25txW3lZKzGn7k3uZkDLsI9mZSSWpOdx5Zw8r4b_iZHmHWWqa3GeC2r2eRv73aN5YrG15yymwxUHG1M4nFdYlgw0gq6Wv/s1600/Ang+and+I+with+baseball+bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqngbYeKPIk1GA7N9LtLib9iqZZTXRxQW6SfEpHUNeONBoAR25txW3lZKzGn7k3uZkDLsI9mZSSWpOdx5Zw8r4b_iZHmHWWqa3GeC2r2eRv73aN5YrG15yymwxUHG1M4nFdYlgw0gq6Wv/s200/Ang+and+I+with+baseball+bench.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">On Sunday morning a group of us congregated outside of Busch Stadium, excited to soon be entering the stadium through the doors of<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"> the Cardinals Administrative Offices, located at <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">700 Clark Street</st1:address></st1:street>. We were greeted by Molly Radcliffe and Kathy Langenfield who gave us welcome packets full of information about ticket packages, special promotions, a “Tweet Me In St. Louis” t-shirt and our own copies of the beautiful 2011 Cardinals Media guide. Next we were escorted to a large conference room where Melody Yount (manager of media relations and new media) spoke briefly and then introduced John Mozeliak, the Cardinals General Manager.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyxc0DQOjXURmD1_BymUxWDBV05R5M8aHy-bL4saFDoAEmGHlNSEl0mVW472X4QzDVl03KbsuVlfznUhIZzlw46xAPPHDDZg8yjgatTdjyM-P4RwzCGBXelIKEdB-2cw7T03WlaUhj-xB/s1600/UCB+meet+with+Mo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyxc0DQOjXURmD1_BymUxWDBV05R5M8aHy-bL4saFDoAEmGHlNSEl0mVW472X4QzDVl03KbsuVlfznUhIZzlw46xAPPHDDZg8yjgatTdjyM-P4RwzCGBXelIKEdB-2cw7T03WlaUhj-xB/s400/UCB+meet+with+Mo.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Mr. Mozeliak gave us a quick state-of-the-team review and talked about the offseason moves and roster changes, then patiently took questions from the group for almost 30 minutes. I must admit it was highly entertaining listening to a group of us “less experienced” new media types ask questions of the GM. Everyone was well-behaved and respectful, but the nervous energy was palpable. Mozeliak answered all questions. None of it was “breaking news,” mostly statements we had heard before from him or the team. But to give Mo some credit, he did inject some humor which lightened the mood. For example, those in attendance now have a new frame of reference regarding our shortstop’s batting average (as it relates to the weight of Mo’s daughter). Also, Mozeliak gave us a status report on Matt Holliday’s recovery from his appendectomy, using the word “bloated,” after which I promptly tuned out in order to clear that less-than-flattering visual from my head. (Get well soon, Matt!) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFBLd0pgS6SRygJzQ0qxITCjpzeV7TMKRbQCQ0Ae4illMCjJVs7UGpXxXnHE-WCXwRXplWSbjbCebQaF0BnJsGR6mWozzSRvPHoHKVuUwupWOops2RxEK4y4bAaveF1azQb1CcqHBpqqA/s1600/hayes+in+UCB+suite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFBLd0pgS6SRygJzQ0qxITCjpzeV7TMKRbQCQ0Ae4illMCjJVs7UGpXxXnHE-WCXwRXplWSbjbCebQaF0BnJsGR6mWozzSRvPHoHKVuUwupWOops2RxEK4y4bAaveF1azQb1CcqHBpqqA/s320/hayes+in+UCB+suite.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Mo made his exit in order to attend to <i>pressing</i> Cardinals business, (why else wouldn’t he hang with us for lunch?) and Derek Throneburg filled us in on the new dynamic ticket pricing. Honestly, after listening to Mr. Throneburg and perusing the glossy info sheets in our goodie bag, I am impressed by the effort of the Cardinals to provide tickets and packages at great bargains. No more excuses…. You gotta get to a ballgame at Busch! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">After all that official stuff (many thanks to Mr. Mozeliak for taking the time for the UCB Q&A!), we headed to the suites where the Cardinals provided a buffet of yummy food and drinks. (Ask Angela about those brownies…) Jim Hayes of FoxSports Midwest stopped by to chat, but Fredbird stole the show when he flew in and posed for pictures. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacYyj1rbKsD_T3KrwL_bEbr5rcFAFOG04t0kdAu9Kq1VXyFoDUC_lM4Wu5Hlvd01SBeajbNDri61FYPrRFQkF-BxfA2G5AuM0yVylS87IfidbE9vMmtDa0HzgVZCQvzmeiWCFmFQF-0BW/s1600/UCB+win.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacYyj1rbKsD_T3KrwL_bEbr5rcFAFOG04t0kdAu9Kq1VXyFoDUC_lM4Wu5Hlvd01SBeajbNDri61FYPrRFQkF-BxfA2G5AuM0yVylS87IfidbE9vMmtDa0HzgVZCQvzmeiWCFmFQF-0BW/s320/UCB+win.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Sunday’s Cardinals game was a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">must-see</i> with Jaime Garcia throwing a complete game shut-out against the Padres, earning the Cardinals their first win of the season. And even though I <i>didn’t actually watch</i> much of the game – my own fault: I was having too much fun chatting with other bloggers/writers that I had never actually met in person before – I will always remember that game experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>By far, the best part of the event (for me) was the chance to finally meet all the great people of the UCB (United Cardinal Bloggers.) Take it from me, even if you absolutely love how they write, they are even better in person!</o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p>Daniel Shoptaw (UCB founder and voice of C70 At The Bat) helped me come up with a list of the fine UCB folk who were present on Sunday. Somehow I didn't manage to meet them all, so I'll be looking forward to next time! Check out links to their great sites at the <a href="http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com/">UCB Website</a>. </o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jiWSjigpjLePuKtYfpmIc4Uut6nlUGZSgtM08enHL04mGCJ0DG8zE_HJWqJVhYbmJw5Ar9Jy0732EXzO9XIX_fiUNWNOVdPJM6uFTRIKFYPnaWZTh5TM9J1COBEBxnrxKoc0HOq-0EuN/s1600/UCB+crew+at+Busch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jiWSjigpjLePuKtYfpmIc4Uut6nlUGZSgtM08enHL04mGCJ0DG8zE_HJWqJVhYbmJw5Ar9Jy0732EXzO9XIX_fiUNWNOVdPJM6uFTRIKFYPnaWZTh5TM9J1COBEBxnrxKoc0HOq-0EuN/s320/UCB+crew+at+Busch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the UCB crew in attendance on Sunday<br />
Photo courtsey of Daniel Shoptaw</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Matt and Josh--Joe Sports Fan</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Nick, Josh, Dennis--Pitchers Hit Eighth</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Angela (and me)--Cardinal Diamond Diaries</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Christine--Aaron Miles' Fastball</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Chris--Bird Brained</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Daniel--C70 At The Bat</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Bob--On The Outside Corner</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Dustin--Welcome to Baseball Heaven</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Kevin--Cards 'N Stuff</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">John--STL: Fear The Red</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Aaron--Cards Diaspora</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Bill--I70 Baseball</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Matt--Baseball Digest</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Eugene--85% Sports</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Steve--Gas House Graphs</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Mike and Joe--Cards Droppings</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Joe--The McBrayer-Baseball Blog</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Tom and Ryan--Cardinals GM</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Dathan--Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Goodnight</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Justin--Intangiball/InsideSTL</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">Pip--Fungoes</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><o:p><br />
</o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">But wait… there’s more! (Way too much for one post.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Tomorrow I’ll fill you in on how I ended up in the Busch Stadium press-box and what happened when Matthew Leach got stuck answering some of my questions. Plus, some of us wandered over to Paddy-O’s after the game…. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">No Cardinal baseball today, but the Memphis Redbirds take on the OKC Redhawks in Memphis tonight for Opening Day in the minor leagues!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Go Redbirds!! =)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-20999477494957195922011-04-05T11:37:00.002-05:002011-04-06T09:06:21.602-05:00The Berkman Bandwagon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGYw_Q0elm8UIns47x9csSrvd7sR0DChDuqbFC-2A5aqtRAXdUrAL6xAYnk7yeOYgsauRu4REFxuWsInQZ0VBQOy0oVbPJWSgJj3B2nRddeLzldiicDZvMgWHtpZebva3fS0P8msY1Xx7/s1600/Berkman+%25289%2529+throw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGYw_Q0elm8UIns47x9csSrvd7sR0DChDuqbFC-2A5aqtRAXdUrAL6xAYnk7yeOYgsauRu4REFxuWsInQZ0VBQOy0oVbPJWSgJj3B2nRddeLzldiicDZvMgWHtpZebva3fS0P8msY1Xx7/s320/Berkman+%25289%2529+throw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Mark your calendars: the date was April 4<sup>th</sup>. Lance Berkman made it into my inner circle of Cardinal love. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Lance Berkman had a clean slate with me. I knew he was a former Houston Astro, but that was about it. (The “new baseball fan” status still gives me an excuse for my unfamiliarity with everything not Cardinal-related.) The Cardinals picked him up in the off-season and the first things I hear about him are 1) Big Puma 2) Fat Elvis and 3) bad knees….. not exactly a glowing report to hang your cap on, Lance. ;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Being a fan of our up-and-coming babybirds and pulling for those young guys to get their due chance with the big club, I am not a huge fan of Tony LaRussa’s propensity to favor new-to-me veteran additions to the roster. Sure, those veterans have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">experience</i>…. but I don’t remember any of it (new baseball fan excuse.) So those guys have to give me a reason to love them. They have to show me some heart, hustle like their job depends on it or at least have a personality that makes me forget that they’re blocking the babybird pipeline to the Majors.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZAIUXrVAmOAeAwvd6TfFQz53Hh5beuQpzLLu-nxGEGbWsayjXnCmQzrJ17tz2DYNfABR_FusDdJ-HF9oYSsw8vUZYJfih74gNVl_BBnl7rk6jQRlfUu5-La8yF95WOgm4xHYc_piwSv0/s1600/Berkman+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZAIUXrVAmOAeAwvd6TfFQz53Hh5beuQpzLLu-nxGEGbWsayjXnCmQzrJ17tz2DYNfABR_FusDdJ-HF9oYSsw8vUZYJfih74gNVl_BBnl7rk6jQRlfUu5-La8yF95WOgm4xHYc_piwSv0/s320/Berkman+%25285%2529.jpg" width="249" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night, Lance Berkman had all three. I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shocked</i> to see him tear around the bases in a hit and run, ending up at 3<sup>rd</sup>! Bad knees? They sure looked to be working well to me. Then the Fox Sports camera (and microphone) caught Berkman as he headed to the dugout, smiling ear to ear, stop at the steps to shout a heads-up to Skip Schumaker, warning that the pitcher was throwing inside. Big points to FSMW for showing that exchange. Personality and teamwork on display makes me happy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Add to that the (boring) stats from last night that Berkman drew two walks in his first two at bats and hit a rbi single to help spark hope in the almost-rally of the 8<sup>th</sup> inning and Lance has earned himself a spot in my heart. Fellow United Cardinals Blogger Christine Coleman was quicker to the Berkman bandwagon than I was. She pointed out to me at the game on Sunday how quirkily entertaining it is to watch Lance nervously walk in little circles in the outfield after every pitch. (Quirky works for me…. See: Brendan Ryan.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, while I was warned that I would love Berkman this season because he had a “great personality,” I stubbornly held out for proof… and spunk. Welcome to the club, Lance Berkman. You’ve earned a new fan. (Mr. Theriot, I am still waiting.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Cardinals did end up with another loss last night. They are now 1-3 in 2011. (Note: the Cardinal win came on Sunday while the United Cardinal Bloggers were in attendance at the game – not that that matters, but I think it might?) David Freese wasn’t feeling the love yesterday. He went 0-4 and has a batting average of .154 which is still better than Pujols’ batting average (now at .125.) Aren’t early season statistics fun? They don’t mean much, but yet we all want to make something out of them. Brendan Ryan is batting .083 for the Mariners right now if you were curious ;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GNY4er3auarIjajgeROjlM4ki8UnzpGrFYmehYf3y-wu1HwG7HzF8exKcgwgcxXjRb9hFsqmwxEgMquIcMQ0Sm4zQD5HVaa_vF4XYpPGho_cOM5aGmBl7jAZQ8eEnKIE2G-zJP5wLL84/s1600/Holliday+and+Berkman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GNY4er3auarIjajgeROjlM4ki8UnzpGrFYmehYf3y-wu1HwG7HzF8exKcgwgcxXjRb9hFsqmwxEgMquIcMQ0Sm4zQD5HVaa_vF4XYpPGho_cOM5aGmBl7jAZQ8eEnKIE2G-zJP5wLL84/s320/Holliday+and+Berkman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">And of course I have to mention Hunky Holliday: On March 31<sup>st</sup>, Matt had a power explosion with 3 hits, a homerun and 2 RBIs. The very next day Holliday was in the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Then, 3 days later reports come out (yesterday) that Matt asked to be kept off the 15 day disabled list because he believes he would be able to return before then. Superman? Possibly. Stud? Definitely! ;)<br />
<br />
late edit: link to FSMW video with Hunky talking about his surgery and recovery: click <a href="http://www.foxsportsmidwest.com/pages/video?PID=Ogrxx4BXAlGuzMH8KI3ES3_qFRyCVQE9">HERE</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Cardinals take on the Pirates again tonight at 7:15 CT with Kyle McClellan on the mound. I feel a win. Go Cards!! ;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">P.S. Hey Angela, I am working on that post about all the fun from the United Cardinal Bloggers (UCB) event at Busch on Sunday---with pictures… promise! ;) </div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-63844839233928901522011-04-03T14:09:00.000-05:002011-04-03T14:09:25.553-05:00LIVE From Busch Stadium!When you get an email from St. Louis Cardinals offering you free tickets, food, drink, and a chance to mingle and meet other writers and bloggers, you would have to be absolutely insane to pass it up, right?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicg4sV8EWHtnfevOR97Y3NcbqfVpOW8UPMdv0tBrV1LU9M_v1gqRr-5JAJZ8t2gjfE9G_yi32B_d5L4ZxR4mMCH6orVnp4aMFE6ihku-sa2aQWQidOLDqrGRwlnWGUR9BxvW5hBeU634/s1600/DSC01384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicg4sV8EWHtnfevOR97Y3NcbqfVpOW8UPMdv0tBrV1LU9M_v1gqRr-5JAJZ8t2gjfE9G_yi32B_d5L4ZxR4mMCH6orVnp4aMFE6ihku-sa2aQWQidOLDqrGRwlnWGUR9BxvW5hBeU634/s320/DSC01384.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We thought so too.<br />
<br />
Erika and I are currently hanging out in the Ozzie Smith suite at Busch Stadium with some of our favorite people, despite the fact that we just met many of them today or last night. I think there are still stars in our eyes from getting to meet so many people and do the things we have been able to do so far, and it is currently only the end of the second inning!<br />
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We were ushered in through a nice area with conference rooms and an area to meet and talk with various members of the Cardinals front office, including John Mozeliak. Mo chatted for a bit about various topics, then took a few questions from all of us, which we greatly appreciated. While I am sure that he skirted around some questions and did not give answers to the satisfaction of some members in attendance, I feel like we got a decent amount of information.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5KJ8Wk2AbIf3e-xNQLyGagWVlQOj0dJ-Wt46LKR2Q1VuOpAAmWTNZBwkUGgPkGuXWMXsO6LfzheniGl4Qg-2yw4El5A30-P_W_1aPnSQqeROipoZludoDahqK7Wq3ADrfjlz_gOCSIM/s1600/DSC01381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5KJ8Wk2AbIf3e-xNQLyGagWVlQOj0dJ-Wt46LKR2Q1VuOpAAmWTNZBwkUGgPkGuXWMXsO6LfzheniGl4Qg-2yw4El5A30-P_W_1aPnSQqeROipoZludoDahqK7Wq3ADrfjlz_gOCSIM/s320/DSC01381.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chattin' it up with Mo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When asked about Pujols, we did get the company line of, "We tried really hard to get a deal done, but negotiations have been shut down as of right now, and we do not anticipate to bring them back up until the end of the season. At that point we feel confident that we can still get a deal in place, but we have to do what is in the best interests of the club." What did you expect?<br />
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When asked about the status of Wainwright's contract, in light of him being on the disabled list and not able to fulfill the stipulations of his contract extension, Mo said that the team had not as of yet had extensive discussions with the Waino camp, but that he has certainly earned the right to all that and more. Good answer! (Yes, I am wearing my Waino shirt. What did you expect?)<br />
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An interesting question to me was one about if he as a general manger ever looked back at guys that he had traded away, a form of "buyer's remorse" as it was. He said he did not, as it wouldn't really do him any good anyway (and then joked, "Isn't that what the media is for?").<br />
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When asked if he had any plans to get more involved with social media, namely all of us, Mo just kinda of went, "Well... no." At least he's honest! He said it is definitely a conversation he can have in the future, but he had not as of yet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x7entlmuccTFXlstb5tWk09bjsB2A7y6tLnWhXj5Rz2PZjkguzfXM_fnyG0gs6sUVCseR6kbDtKZOY409wVFQt27v3xAukkU9otKLq-LMy1BSn16Vi6AG8e7cRA41Cm9I8KFQw9ZPk8/s1600/IMG_1404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6x7entlmuccTFXlstb5tWk09bjsB2A7y6tLnWhXj5Rz2PZjkguzfXM_fnyG0gs6sUVCseR6kbDtKZOY409wVFQt27v3xAukkU9otKLq-LMy1BSn16Vi6AG8e7cRA41Cm9I8KFQw9ZPk8/s320/IMG_1404.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I know there were other questions and answers, lots of information he passed out, but those are the clear ones for me. After Mo took off we learned about the new dynamic pricing program, which changes the prices of tickets based on the demand for each individual game. We also talked about about the 1120 program, which gets you a pair of vouches for $11.20 that will then get you into the game that night. The trick of it is that based on the game that day and the availability of tickets, your seats could be anywhere from field boxes to standing room only. It was at this point that I realized (again... still... some more) that I need to move to St. Louis so I can take advantage of programs like that!<br />
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A few other random pics, since it's now the fourth and I actually want to, you know, <u style="font-weight: bold;">watch</u> some of the game...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrCWB1yyEij2GIkOtDRMQ9IcMHa_B_d8T4J5J9Mv1hEfIes6XJh3iNJGJ17juun3DJPYJMdf2lJ6LBsPGB3C9tzWFQskiJvXpda5Hn96zBsQmOZiAjDqpKJ8paJdFx149aN06K4zEVLo/s1600/IMG_1410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrCWB1yyEij2GIkOtDRMQ9IcMHa_B_d8T4J5J9Mv1hEfIes6XJh3iNJGJ17juun3DJPYJMdf2lJ6LBsPGB3C9tzWFQskiJvXpda5Hn96zBsQmOZiAjDqpKJ8paJdFx149aN06K4zEVLo/s320/IMG_1410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We met Fredbird!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyvZbP9n_flTLfK98DIlvVPnLpyvQ996XEwUIhCBuVhdVhL98B979dRo7tFhFr8eT0fxW6-j2BsJJEp6kSzPyFyarQ-vBKIZpcIGRfAegx50hWjO-wWIySWTlgXrXMJF-WJ8afWrbIg4/s1600/IMG_2175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyvZbP9n_flTLfK98DIlvVPnLpyvQ996XEwUIhCBuVhdVhL98B979dRo7tFhFr8eT0fxW6-j2BsJJEp6kSzPyFyarQ-vBKIZpcIGRfAegx50hWjO-wWIySWTlgXrXMJF-WJ8afWrbIg4/s320/IMG_2175.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim "the Cat" Hayes with Daniel Shoptaw from C70</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTo8sKfeBL8eP5sSIH2g9zjE8DMQjVZUCGtK6EtJWMK8owHxmTXG90DQs8iofiSe8qSDsz72G1S86di6hyphenhyphenBspk-Q3IJUpTxhFmrEL8kQwQrE0zRCnGxZCnHaChiHm_KtPWX2bSqTmR8E/s1600/IMG_2168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTo8sKfeBL8eP5sSIH2g9zjE8DMQjVZUCGtK6EtJWMK8owHxmTXG90DQs8iofiSe8qSDsz72G1S86di6hyphenhyphenBspk-Q3IJUpTxhFmrEL8kQwQrE0zRCnGxZCnHaChiHm_KtPWX2bSqTmR8E/s320/IMG_2168.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view. No complaints!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There will be more later, but it might not be until tonight. Enjoy the game! GO CARDS!Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-53577924108385048752011-03-30T19:17:00.000-05:002011-03-30T19:17:06.316-05:00Spring Training, Episode 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViQUBB0LnYBrWfk9cDiYPHGDHhB74nNBtx7hobTdje4iYdsS0WddzF6wWcaF0woZujpvtzhTbvGqt9r7bmy4vlTSWe-bqMy7rY1w3v1EPPQBdVEjphy5CFHhm_iqg1D8FNWFku739rzAl/s1600/Descalso+and+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViQUBB0LnYBrWfk9cDiYPHGDHhB74nNBtx7hobTdje4iYdsS0WddzF6wWcaF0woZujpvtzhTbvGqt9r7bmy4vlTSWe-bqMy7rY1w3v1EPPQBdVEjphy5CFHhm_iqg1D8FNWFku739rzAl/s200/Descalso+and+Me.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel Descalso!! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">With only hours left until Opening Day at Busch Stadium and a full season of Cardinals baseball ahead of us, here’s the final part of my Spring Training report with highlights of my time in Jupiter watching our boys. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Some tidbits of Spring Training Magic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enjoy!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Luck of the Late Arrivals<o:p></o:p></b></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCF_TJUFle0zrgLVnFuZtNFq3YGJgROgueHjrMOauESnEl641sWlRlhQZeBoJ3Tja3opJ4MturBB10Xji7_wpSxQwaGjucVjEmBQJinsCWV1myB8OLD_dHHkcu-nOFcjzbYBlVSr-4xET/s1600/McClellan+Signing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCF_TJUFle0zrgLVnFuZtNFq3YGJgROgueHjrMOauESnEl641sWlRlhQZeBoJ3Tja3opJ4MturBB10Xji7_wpSxQwaGjucVjEmBQJinsCWV1myB8OLD_dHHkcu-nOFcjzbYBlVSr-4xET/s200/McClellan+Signing.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyle McClellan</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">After driving the 4 hours from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tampa</st1:city></st1:place>, we arrived at Roger Dean Stadium less than 2 hours before game time on Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit the team store briefly, then headed to the backfields as the small crowds were dispersing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Figuring we’d missed the fun, we weren’t expecting much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we caught some pitchers taking batting practice, having fun competing for total distance, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kyle Lohse, Jake Westbrook and Kyle McClellan were taking turns in the cage and after they were finished, all three signed autographs for the fans that were still hanging around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In camp for approximately 30 minutes and getting autographs from three starting pitchers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why yes, I do believe in fairy tales!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaX45pmcd-ohLAXb2609MypnKkuNspF4nKh8bBTMfmZEHGja_89Jjg4fkhXvbvtcmPKV1CzRND0SL3AylKCzmtJOLOE1Ngq8lmuF8AAbf2Fpg-7epboKNY-uKnjLgPJQ-XPMjllguYcWZ/s1600/Albert+homers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaX45pmcd-ohLAXb2609MypnKkuNspF4nKh8bBTMfmZEHGja_89Jjg4fkhXvbvtcmPKV1CzRND0SL3AylKCzmtJOLOE1Ngq8lmuF8AAbf2Fpg-7epboKNY-uKnjLgPJQ-XPMjllguYcWZ/s200/Albert+homers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pujols Smacks TWO!!</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Albert Pujols is ……. Well, he’s Albert Pujols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What more can you say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Spring Training crowd that Saturday went wild when Albert led off the 4<sup>th</sup> inning with a solo blast to left center field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next inning, Pujols decided to do it again, with another homerun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We felt honored to be watching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing magic about this one…. Just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pure Pujols.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Morning Frivolities on the Back Fields<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwd4G3t71dIBdSthqGXJ8KgsTBo6z20r1F5vxqCpUxObn1Ez8VcTDUSsTEJJnnqlGIE0iN7B6Wpv80RvBJ8y9aoiC6XDbLk3P0FCUUGBsk2DbFAI2wmMGwrCFD_TUFOq3eoCtKEaETx-O/s1600/batting+cage+frivolity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwd4G3t71dIBdSthqGXJ8KgsTBo6z20r1F5vxqCpUxObn1Ez8VcTDUSsTEJJnnqlGIE0iN7B6Wpv80RvBJ8y9aoiC6XDbLk3P0FCUUGBsk2DbFAI2wmMGwrCFD_TUFOq3eoCtKEaETx-O/s320/batting+cage+frivolity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">On Sunday morning, Lance Berkman was good-naturedly terrorizing Skip Schumaker in the batting cages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yadi, Ryan Theriot, Skip and Berkman were taking turns in the cage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun was hot and the crowd was sparse when Berkman decided to have some fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He started smacking the cage with his bat when pitches came in to Schumaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This progressed to full-fledge cage rattling to distract him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty soon Yadi and Theriot were joining in and all four were laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of those behind-the-scenes moments that makes me smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice to see Cardinal clubhouse chemistry alive and well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s Carp!!”<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXs6cBsf-i9JtBnBJEL7PnrpljPtekG6I1jw0n_Xgi8U-rh-Ji1c9PlCxbloOsmelKD2uuaZEVeIc5PqpY65x_KYskVc4renpkdwoWZzGBDojY5E5P5ZQOyIcxllME5x6Xv_dcKTdjdYb/s1600/Carp+run+ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXs6cBsf-i9JtBnBJEL7PnrpljPtekG6I1jw0n_Xgi8U-rh-Ji1c9PlCxbloOsmelKD2uuaZEVeIc5PqpY65x_KYskVc4renpkdwoWZzGBDojY5E5P5ZQOyIcxllME5x6Xv_dcKTdjdYb/s320/Carp+run+ink.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">That's what I said to Hubby on Sunday, pointing up the sidewalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He mumbles something like “How can you see with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that guy</i> in the way?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Turns out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that guy</i> was Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals’ Ace and starting pitcher for Opening Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was heading out for a run in shorts and a t-shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nobody else was around. It was eerie and exciting all at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carp wasn’t stopping to chat though, and I didn’t bother him to ask for an autograph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Memories of the Carp temper and flashbacks to the icy glares he shot Brendan Ryan that time last season kept me from invading his personal space. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did grab my camera though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carp in shorts??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obligation</i> to document that leg art. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blessed Are the Happy Autograph Givers<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">In my opinion, the best part of Spring Training is the accessibility to the players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(For autographs as well as great photo opportunities) The environment is welcoming and the smaller venue affords a better chance to interact with these players we watch from a distance during the regular baseball season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I adore observing Cardinals interacting with fans, especially with kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the guys are admittedly better about it than others,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but those brief moments when a favorite ballplayer stops to take a picture or sign an autograph often will be more poignant memories for fans than the action on the field that day. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQr31X7zec8vDYxlmy5sIKbFTC9x_C5hQzEy2TTugZU0OU4ygCxFZL5y5ezHDbkNYLBBLNhmx2wFTvrpVAoCJWSe77m-XzI9hKo1AtNnS_xaHTWxHTUTAjMpGTbsdiXeI60x3AUQVPF85/s1600/Skip+Schumaker+signing+autographs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQr31X7zec8vDYxlmy5sIKbFTC9x_C5hQzEy2TTugZU0OU4ygCxFZL5y5ezHDbkNYLBBLNhmx2wFTvrpVAoCJWSe77m-XzI9hKo1AtNnS_xaHTWxHTUTAjMpGTbsdiXeI60x3AUQVPF85/s200/Skip+Schumaker+signing+autographs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skip Schumaker making kids happy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">We certainly didn’t camp out for hours or pester players for autographs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several players voluntarily made themselves available to sign for fans after practice and before or after games. I know some players are jaded by the fact that autographs may end up on Ebay instead of as treasured spring training mementos. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However the players who take the time and spread some joy with a pen on a baseball make long-lasting, positive impressions on fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those moments are priceless, no matter how old you are.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, those are a few of my highlights from Spring Training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Game One of the 2011 Cardinals season is tomorrow!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We here at Cardinal Diamond Diaries look forward to sharing the season with you all!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">GO CARDS!!</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-55627073524767999192011-03-30T11:20:00.001-05:002011-03-30T14:40:40.730-05:00Spring Training, Episode 1<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHlvIOczl5ExbGvvU9FWqGyzcF126hg5PsoDPEBxMIuord9XmxzGQofIH_EpVi-1egfydlDE2mKFCKhLQbpnv4jua5j1Cpdi_dlNRLMrE1GRItWUGGowC1Wj_sjrgWFRJ_yxb1vpagN2t/s1600/ST+pocket+camera+084+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHlvIOczl5ExbGvvU9FWqGyzcF126hg5PsoDPEBxMIuord9XmxzGQofIH_EpVi-1egfydlDE2mKFCKhLQbpnv4jua5j1Cpdi_dlNRLMrE1GRItWUGGowC1Wj_sjrgWFRJ_yxb1vpagN2t/s200/ST+pocket+camera+084+crop.jpg" width="186" /></a>Spring Training means different things to different people. To me, a trip to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Florida</st1:state></st1:place> in late March when the weather is warm and Opening Day is juuussssst around the corner makes perfect sense. Mornings spent soaking up the sights and sounds of baseball drills on the backfields of Roger Dean stadium are not too chilly. Starters are going longer into games and the lineups are full of actual, live 2011 Cardinals!! It’s as close to “real” season baseball as possible… while still in the cozy setting of the Cardinals Spring Training facility, surrounded by palm trees, sea breezes and sunshine.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Brief Recap: </div><div class="MsoNormal">Previous Spring Training trips (’09 and ’10) were hard on Hubby. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2009, new fan syndrome was in full effect. I’d be up at the crack of dawn, not wanting to miss a single glimpse of a guy in a Cardinal uniform. I was on Yadi Watch constantly. We hadn’t heard about the opportunity of watching morning practice drills. I took a total of 178 photos (many of them were blurry because I was shaking from the excitement of it all.) I noticed a guy named David Freese (#66) and took pictures of Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel. We saw two games and fell in love with the Spring Training atmosphere.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2010, new fan syndrome was still rampant. PLUS I was armed with useful information from a baseball fan’s best tool: twitter. For example, this time I knew about Roger Dean stadium’s back fields, morning workouts & autograph opportunities, and the existence of Pyros Grill. I was on Matt Holliday watch. I took over 700 photos (some were still blurry because Brendan Ryan was spinning too fast for my camera or because I was drooling -just a little- over David Freese.) I took pictures with Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse. We saw 4 games – 2 home and 2 away. I toured a baseball museum (because Aaron Hooks offered me free tickets if I’d review it for Cards Diaspora… #win!) Highlight?? David Freese signed my shirt!!! I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">addicted</i> to Spring Training. Baseball overdose at it’s most extreme. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">(Hubby was more than relieved to finally get me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">out</i> of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Florida</st1:state></st1:place>!) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, on our third trip to Spring Training, this year we did something different. Maybe because I’ve matured in my fandom, maybe because Hubby medicated me…who knows? But somehow we achieved a more well-rounded <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state> vacation. Don’t get me wrong. It revolved around baseball! But we did venture away from Roger Dean. We enjoyed restaurants and sight-seeing that didn’t involve player-stalking. (Granted, I knew I had to behave myself if Hubby would ever agree to a Spring Training trip #4!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3QH67e1vwc7qOVTQ6z0Q_6nLMsubhzWd6URPz56PNdoYAZb1CQ59g2hM9vKTxe1LBQDG9SvNcBBexvtm_EAHfgoijtGA9fFKXKCU2PtDN1IRcAEtPVYOGj7-Kk_iiI9DI1n9T29ro5dt/s1600/ST+pocket+camera+110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3QH67e1vwc7qOVTQ6z0Q_6nLMsubhzWd6URPz56PNdoYAZb1CQ59g2hM9vKTxe1LBQDG9SvNcBBexvtm_EAHfgoijtGA9fFKXKCU2PtDN1IRcAEtPVYOGj7-Kk_iiI9DI1n9T29ro5dt/s640/ST+pocket+camera+110.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
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</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Last week we even went to see some *gasp* non-Cardinals games. In fact, while Hubby was meeting friends for a day of fishing (he saw dolphins!!), I ventured off all by myself to watch the Phillies play the Braves. That experience was a perfect Spring Training warm-up. I was a berm bum, taking in a game whose players/teams I was less familiar with. Honestly, I bought that ticket hoping to see Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee pitch for the Phillies and fully expecting to be cheering on former Cardinal Joe Mather in a Braves uniform. Alas, none of my hopefuls were in the game. So, I spent a lot of time watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just</i> baseball. I didn’t care who won or lost. And you know what? I loved every second of it. The view from the grass was different, enlightening – the game looks different and catches that seem so simple when watching from the infield are suddenly a heckuva lot more impressive when the fielder manages to intercept a rocket while chasing across the outfield grass. It was baseball. Good baseball. Man, you gotta love Spring Training! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>ST Game 1<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">Yay!! – 78 degrees, light winds and sunshine.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 120.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 120.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Ryan Madson, in all his Madson glory, LIVE!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 120.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 120.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Beach party on the OF berm</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Boo - No Joe, Halladay or Lee, but I got over it. ;) </div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUiV36NrxvL-8Sc2geW4iQ_81s9MsuMbzWWXRLH3vQRiGsQO8Mf9NbysYZq910mhhkolE6cKdyh08itDFgQKuJFDmz2vFLD0MjYbvk2wAiXyxXWYyAtbOPo_gitGLz5gU74hlAh8nxnOs/s1600/ST+pocket+camera+111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUiV36NrxvL-8Sc2geW4iQ_81s9MsuMbzWWXRLH3vQRiGsQO8Mf9NbysYZq910mhhkolE6cKdyh08itDFgQKuJFDmz2vFLD0MjYbvk2wAiXyxXWYyAtbOPo_gitGLz5gU74hlAh8nxnOs/s640/ST+pocket+camera+111.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">That same night we went to watch the Yankees take on the Astros at the Yankees Spring Training complex. We were late to the game and the gate guardian wouldn’t let me bring in some of my camera gear. So we were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even later</i> after lugging it back to the parking lot again. No Mariano Rivera appearance. (So far I was shooting 0-fer on my Spring Training hopefuls.) However it was a night game and the stadium was full of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state> fans. Suffice it to say, that was a FAR different experience than Roger Dean Stadium full of Cardinal fans at 1:05pm games. ;) Again, I savored every second. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>ST Game 2<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">Yay!! – Joba and Dave Robertson pitching relief.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 120.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 120.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Jeter. Jeter. Jeter.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 120.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 120.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Brett Wallace (former Redbird) playing 1<sup>st</sup>, but hitless</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 120.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 120.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Kettle corn for dinner!<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 120.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 120.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Chuckling about “Mr. Know-It-All” sitting behind us who was always handing out words of (incorrect) wisdom to his kids<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Boo - Gate trolls and repeat trips to the parking lot.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With that, my Spring Training warm-up was complete and we had a 4-hour drive to Jupiter, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state> (near West Palm Beach) for Cardinals camp the next morning. Needless to say… it was hard to fall asleep that night.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next post: my stories from Jupiter and my time at Cardinals’ Spring Training: running into Chris Carpenter out of uniform, on the sidewalk by the stadium; the batting practice frivolity of Lance Berkman; autographs, meeting players, and my favorite Spring Training game moments. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fitting it all in a blog before Opening Day (tomorrow) was poor planning… but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Like I said, we all do Spring Training a little differently. I spend a lot of time taking pictures instead of keeping a scorecard. I love watching ballplayers sign autographs and how they interact with fans. Spring Training provides a unique opportunity to live and breathe the beginnings of baseball season…. until the big show begins. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy Opening Day Eve!! =)</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-35353172682465524932011-03-19T22:07:00.000-05:002011-03-19T22:07:15.757-05:00Starting to Mean Something<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJH9R_4oX_29um6nKCYezrMoLN1ky00pb56sQqC0oMmswJ2rEr1dU6BJ2cFj-7QSgJF2ARqoXW8VIJ_tfC0uNxuR9F_l__4b23DL6sfXDOr7b7FlOnOVmRcLrN_0Dy2oAKnw3qr1cYuNo/s1600/grapefruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJH9R_4oX_29um6nKCYezrMoLN1ky00pb56sQqC0oMmswJ2rEr1dU6BJ2cFj-7QSgJF2ARqoXW8VIJ_tfC0uNxuR9F_l__4b23DL6sfXDOr7b7FlOnOVmRcLrN_0Dy2oAKnw3qr1cYuNo/s320/grapefruit.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Those of you that know me a bit know that I get really excited about the beginning of the baseball season. First day of Spring Training? Check (I wore red). First spring game? I found ways to watch that silly little Gameday box from my desk at work (and I wore red). First televised game? I again snuck peaks at the game (despite being unable to listen to most of it) from work (and wore more red). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Each and every first made me smile, caused me to comment, and gave me reason to talk about baseball a little more than usual. But when the game ended and the final score was posted, I shut it down. I didn't fuss that too many men were left on base or get irritated at why Tony used <i>this</i> reliever instead of <i>that one.</i> Because it didn't matter. Spring records mean nothing (although I imagine being incredibly bad or blowing everyone out would turn heads). I have no idea what the standings look like for the Grapefruit League, nor will I be looking them up anytime soon.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's not that I don't care. I'm trying to guess my way through those last few roster spots just like everyone else. I have been looking at various names/faces/statistics, but every time I start to get wrapped up in it I remember: Never fall in love too early in spring. Two weeks ago I was pulling for Lance Lynn for the rotation, Daniel Descalso to be the last bench player, was genuinely concerned about Lance Berkman, and still found little reason to trust Kyle Lohse. Since then I changed my mind... on all of those. But let's look at one at a time...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2x83r5hnAPCgMWMCnfLsLiTEuWxU-2hjyNvXbT67WqLDTgdTBVSeC-f0gEkfeUGWJmgNQIllUh49GPgctreR7RU9zUXNzhEiyfYuDrWYuVlKJHlWWsafQbkBGdQ1F-CzIVO_lI7acKXg/s1600/kyle_mcclellan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2x83r5hnAPCgMWMCnfLsLiTEuWxU-2hjyNvXbT67WqLDTgdTBVSeC-f0gEkfeUGWJmgNQIllUh49GPgctreR7RU9zUXNzhEiyfYuDrWYuVlKJHlWWsafQbkBGdQ1F-CzIVO_lI7acKXg/s320/kyle_mcclellan.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Pitchers:</b> I am a huge Kyle McClellan fan. Really. I want him to succeed in whatever role he finally lands in. However, it seems that every year he gets put into the rotation mix during Spring Training, I pull for someone else. Why is that? It's because I constantly fall into the belief that while fifth starters can be found through any number of ways (and the Cardinals have a history of... interesting... fifth starter names over the past few years), strong and reliable workhorse bullpen arms are a little tougher to come by. I don't doubt Boggs and Motte. I love those goobers and the flaming fastballs they shoot out of their arms like cannons. I do at the same time love that McClellan can use an assortment of pitches and be the kind of setup man that TLR loves to have and use. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I was pulling for Lance Lynn to have the kind of spring that Jaime Garcia did last year. After watching him today, I'm still unconvinced that he absolutely couldn't do it. His outing was okay, 4 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs and 4 strikeouts is nothing to be super critical of, but not eye opening either. McClellan has done nothing but mow 'em down. I want it to be McClellan. I suppose I'm pulling for Fernando Salas to get that last spot in the pen, but as Derrick Goold noted this afternoon, <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_29d9c951-47d7-5967-a0b9-cba7c7d3f303.html">the team hasn't decided yet</a>. I'm not sold, but I feel better about this all now than I did a couple of weeks ago, that's for sure. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The other pitcher discussion has to be the combination of Jake Westbrook, Garcia, and Lohse. Quick, if you would have picked one of those three to have a strong spring, which would it have been? I would seriously laugh if you had said Lohse. NO ONE saw it coming. Will it last into the regular season? I certainly hope so. I don't expect him, Westbrook or Garcia to take the place of Adam Wainwright (*sniff*... I'm okay, it's dust or something), but feeling like we could rely on him to be more like the pitcher we saw in 2008 would be fantastic! Is it time to get concerned about Westbrook feeling like he hasn't really been able to get his pitches under control or Garcia not feeling worried about his not great start or not working counts well? I suppose that time is getting close. The games are starting to mean something (even if the final scores still do not).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Outfield:</b> Color me not really worried about the outfield. Holliday and Rasmus are obviously just fine, and I think Berkman will be too. He probably cannot and really should not be playing every game like he thinks he can, but I feel confident enough in Jay and Craig being the other two outfielders that it should work out nicely. Should Berkman go down, it would not be the end of the world. I just hope he doesn't. That's all.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktdtGOyeqHpk-ISyu96fpVyDPpoLce6Tp8PI2JcweWszfQVUKtcfoNa8e94PwnQYk9plIQjWsaAshyphenhyphenfE71U8b86eKVmppoRaDNXRbrPG2drI9hWGZV3Nfgg41E1OFVGdoOqVNmlit2B0/s1600/matt+carpenter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktdtGOyeqHpk-ISyu96fpVyDPpoLce6Tp8PI2JcweWszfQVUKtcfoNa8e94PwnQYk9plIQjWsaAshyphenhyphenfE71U8b86eKVmppoRaDNXRbrPG2drI9hWGZV3Nfgg41E1OFVGdoOqVNmlit2B0/s320/matt+carpenter.jpg" width="289" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">AP Photo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Infield: </b>The four starters are clear - Pujols, Skip, Theriot, and Freese. No questions there. The two bench spots are the trick. Most assume that Tyler Greene will take one of them, but then it comes down to Daniel Descalso or Matt Carpenter. At the beginning of spring I would have said Descalso, no question. I fell in love too early, then felt Carpenter sweep Cardinal Nation collectively off our feet. He's not on the 40 man roster, but man, <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_f7f9e766-91a5-57a4-b7a3-0c9d64243357.html">he could be</a>. The fans like him. The front office likes him. Tony likes him (and his work ethic... so... he's the anti-Brendan?). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dang. There had to be a 'but.' </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Carpenter plays third. In reality, he only plays third. We have a third baseman by the name of David Freese. Freese has obviously had his share of boo-boos and injury mishaps, and the team is taking care of those and shielding him from doing too much too soon, but really, do you want two players on your team that <b>only</b> play third base? Greene can play second and short, but Descalso can play second, short, and third. Versatility will get you everywhere on a Tony team, just ask Aaron Miles. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Is there a right or wrong answer as to who to take north? I'm not sure there is. The point will most likely be moot anyway whenever Nick Punto (Yeah, I forgot about him too) comes off the disabled list. Both players have played well. Carpenter has gotten more print, but both have averages over .300, both have played solid defense. If you want to argue logistics, then fine - Descalso has experience at the big league level, although very limited (11 games and 37 plate appearances), while Carpenter hasn't played a game above AA. That is definitely a factor. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Don't sell either short. However, just because the games are starting to mean something doesn't mean it's been long enough to fall for either player. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's why they play the games. :)</span>Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-63558468999402506262011-03-16T08:00:00.006-05:002011-03-16T08:06:50.002-05:00Even if it was only one game...I finally made it back to Spring Training!!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPvW1WTR57dPEsC0g66KlHE1tigUNhEIY0r8WY2XHW796-CnkeNwMAjgpIPODAt_AP7Cv_dO7RKQR5epk5adcF9wx02Z7Qhe2F_NsyUPwjdASCBE9weHtG_n8wVd4VrsxQ7jZl0JxyJA/s1600/IMG_3275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPvW1WTR57dPEsC0g66KlHE1tigUNhEIY0r8WY2XHW796-CnkeNwMAjgpIPODAt_AP7Cv_dO7RKQR5epk5adcF9wx02Z7Qhe2F_NsyUPwjdASCBE9weHtG_n8wVd4VrsxQ7jZl0JxyJA/s320/IMG_3275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally back after 5 long years!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">It has been 5 years (almost to the week) since I last attended a Spring Training game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. March 2006 was also the first time I ever went to Spring Training. We also know what happened in October 2006....so if I am any kind of luck, 2011 could potentially be a Red October. :) Of course I am just being a little superstitious and silly, but it is always fun to think about.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">For the last Spring Break of my college career (hopefully!), I visited a friend in Miami, Florida. I told her that I would do anything else during the week as long as we could go to a Spring Training game in Jupiter. Knowing how obsessed I am with baseball and the Cardinals, she agreed, even though she barely knows anything about baseball. I promised her that I would teach her as much as I could and we would have a great time.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpT8LZV5rvrQwfVBbUSxz0LzZ1o_u1EHCvI6J7tE-AQryno9w0AM4mcT7zP_OLeo6KNsLBam9gqQr_RRzHnOaexT0UCZv_fqlc5HsjexGqg6DHn8EQWO-oBApcD6AyBTWXOXln5DoFXiQ/s1600/IMG_3160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpT8LZV5rvrQwfVBbUSxz0LzZ1o_u1EHCvI6J7tE-AQryno9w0AM4mcT7zP_OLeo6KNsLBam9gqQr_RRzHnOaexT0UCZv_fqlc5HsjexGqg6DHn8EQWO-oBApcD6AyBTWXOXln5DoFXiQ/s320/IMG_3160.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yadier Molina - you can't tell here, but I<br />
swear his eyes were closed! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">In my usual over-zealous fashion, we got there before the gates even opened and I spent a good 20-30 minutes in the official team store buying quite a few goodies. Don't worry, I did bring back my little sister an official Spring Training t-shirt. I knew she would have been disappointed if I didn't. Once the gates opened and we got in, I made my way down to the first row on the 1<sup>st</sup> base side of the stands. I parked myself right in front of the bullpen pitchers mound and waited for players to begin to enter the field. </span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">After about an hour of waiting, finally John Gast, LHP, was the first to enter the field. I think about 3 people bothered even showing interest in him before a little boy in the berm asked for his autograph. He turned around and gladly gave it to him. After a while several more players began to enter the field, with Yadier Molina being one of the first as usual. As I watched him warm up, catching soft-tossed balls from bullpen catcher Murphy, I swear he actually did close his eyes when taking those warmup tosses. (remember the commercial from 2009 when he was blindfolded catching baseballs??). More and more players entered the field, and I got that same excited feeling I do every new season...I was shaking I was so excited. I think this is probably the coolest part of spring training. Instead of the players entering the field from the dugout, where very few fans are able to see them up close, they enter from the outfield where the berm is, so many fans are able to see the players up close and personal and get autographs and chat with their favorite players.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ITGussj2cJxBv1DUL2hfi53L2nCUpWGF1r2iT0K-2sBgACwUpXk3lTzDyMoC2qhCCiCYGY8LLbzwau_mFaV90OMim_TIr9yXeRDwVLfEALS_3QVa8RjNC8hdxI8FMhYsFb7RbfoN5uA/s1600/IMG_3202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ITGussj2cJxBv1DUL2hfi53L2nCUpWGF1r2iT0K-2sBgACwUpXk3lTzDyMoC2qhCCiCYGY8LLbzwau_mFaV90OMim_TIr9yXeRDwVLfEALS_3QVa8RjNC8hdxI8FMhYsFb7RbfoN5uA/s320/IMG_3202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & Daniel Descalso</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I was lucky enough to meet Daniel Descalso & Mark Hamilton while they were signing autographs near the Cardinals' bullpen on the first base side. If you have read Daniel's MLB blog (<a href="http://danieldescalso.mlblogs.com/">http://danieldescalso.mlblogs.com/</a>), you know that he has given us a really great inside look on what a day of spring training is like. When I saw him coming around the corner signing autographs, I was excited that I would hopefully get to meet him...and I did. Everyone else just seemed to be asking for autographs, so I asked for a picture as well. My list of pictures with Cardinal players is getting checked off quickly. :) A little while later, Mark Hamilton was doing the same thing, and I got a photo with him as well.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4jkQlTBwnrjnilSKOc51-jcRxlODHuL-WqQmCuQd0AYCEL62WM9ErFeS38GCqzH0M5J9ddCP5XBuIdn3DtQP-n_VS2qGY11-oqo5wpaxullD8iDS3UXWfvWWOm8SlDEPr4d64ztrD7A/s1600/IMG_3217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4jkQlTBwnrjnilSKOc51-jcRxlODHuL-WqQmCuQd0AYCEL62WM9ErFeS38GCqzH0M5J9ddCP5XBuIdn3DtQP-n_VS2qGY11-oqo5wpaxullD8iDS3UXWfvWWOm8SlDEPr4d64ztrD7A/s320/IMG_3217.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & Mark Hamilton</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">We continued to watch Jaime Garcia warm up before we got booted out of the seats we were using. We headed to our seats in the second level and got to watch an awesome baseball game against the Boston Red Sox. I was actually really glad I got to see this game because I don't think I have ever seen the Red Sox live and in person. There were a lot of Red Sox fans sitting around us, but thankfully the guy next to me was a Cardinal fan, and I got to impress him with my knowledge. I remember him saying to me, “yeah, you need to work for this team, you know so much!” I hope this comes true someday. We all know it would be a dream come true for me!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu0SzFtY2gE4ZwuGj3bCIpNBhLKgDIJK_oAMHXHqENND5gMOY18bqAlv8Bgya2wWyKGXEl78l4oACy_bnz2iOOTX7PUBC4Hswk0ZvkOegy3-ivf4MLlwsdmcWp9vBj2Vwh7xjgP9HsGI/s1600/photo-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu0SzFtY2gE4ZwuGj3bCIpNBhLKgDIJK_oAMHXHqENND5gMOY18bqAlv8Bgya2wWyKGXEl78l4oACy_bnz2iOOTX7PUBC4Hswk0ZvkOegy3-ivf4MLlwsdmcWp9vBj2Vwh7xjgP9HsGI/s320/photo-10.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & CJ Beatty - sorry it's not the best,<br />
iphone picture... :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Prior to the game, I had contacted one of my favorite Cardinal twitter-ers, @CJBeatty44, to see if I could meet him. Fortunately, he was supposed to be attending the game before his workouts started the next day! He so politely obliged and we decided to get in contact with each other on March 8<sup>th</sup> at the game. After several emails back and forth, we realized that we were actually sitting one section away from each other! So, before he had to leave (those dang American League teams cause games to be sooooo long!), we met up. Ok, people, if you enjoy CJ on twitter, you would love to meet him in person! Such a nice, humble guy. I must admit, when I read on his stats that he was 5'10”, I wasn't sure what to expect (honestly, I thought I might be a little taller than him because I too am 5'10”), but we were the same height. Good for you CJ, I hate it when players fudge their height on their stats page. Haha. Unfortunately we couldn't spend much time chatting, his girlfriend only had a few more hours to spend with him before his season started, and of course I wanted to watch the rest of the game. However, I can say from what I have read on his website (<a href="http://www.cjbeatty.com/">www.cjbeatty.com</a>) he is a sincerely genuine person, and any Cardinal fans that get a chance to meet him would be very lucky. I am happy to say that we are now friends and I am looking forward to watching his journey as a member of the Palm Beach Cardinal and hopefully on up through the organization and as a St. Louis Cardinal one day. CJ, thanks so much for meeting me! I wish you the best of luck in 2011 and in the future!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKtn49UacoBpOXQfCU1ETxutUgXQwyf-NgOU0cxFLKs4lZk2rcVFlWDuADX6pW-4rroGo7IJXnOlnFK6ElHwDoBFO7fkqmTKEAlVzL6EEl4coFz8Zd-durESDuPI5r3yadUwq3VL6qAs/s1600/IMG_3269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKtn49UacoBpOXQfCU1ETxutUgXQwyf-NgOU0cxFLKs4lZk2rcVFlWDuADX6pW-4rroGo7IJXnOlnFK6ElHwDoBFO7fkqmTKEAlVzL6EEl4coFz8Zd-durESDuPI5r3yadUwq3VL6qAs/s320/IMG_3269.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me & my friend Kristin at Roger Dean Stadium</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Cardinal fans, I am soooo excited for baseball season! I know we have already had some setbacks and some scares heading into the 2011 season, but I still have faith...I think that there will be several young-veterans and other younger guys (baby birds maybe) who will be able to step up and take advantage of an opportunity. Next time you hear from me will probably be right after Opening Day! I will be there with bells on and I can't wait to cheer this team to victory in 2011. All things that have happened thus far, I am excited and I am ready to see what this team does this year. I am not extremely superstitious, but remember, I was last at Spring Training in 2006, and we know what happened then...lets hope for the same in 2011! GO REDBIRDS!! </span> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">PS...all of these are my pictures, if you wish to see more, I can post em on twitter!</span></div>stl_cardsfan29http://www.blogger.com/profile/13082854230226813154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-50743407672282921102011-03-07T17:22:00.002-06:002011-03-07T17:25:34.009-06:00Welcome Back, David Freese!<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHUW6SIYzPx8mIIptHlPhMR_MmNs0vYJk__MF6lxGKycyqYMSGKrZUKA2K7G4Tmx_dSFgGn8nUYkD8MQ_DVtKpirk0ERbA6oixDgleDVK5RRvFwX_uaxWEqwE4PsV0R_toioEMOyj2-d_/s1600/D+Freese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHUW6SIYzPx8mIIptHlPhMR_MmNs0vYJk__MF6lxGKycyqYMSGKrZUKA2K7G4Tmx_dSFgGn8nUYkD8MQ_DVtKpirk0ERbA6oixDgleDVK5RRvFwX_uaxWEqwE4PsV0R_toioEMOyj2-d_/s320/D+Freese.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps winning the CDD’s <a href="http://cardinaldiamonddiaries.blogspot.com/2011/03/crowning-2011-ultimate-cardinal-crush.html">2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush</a> trophy brought Dave some luck?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cardinal Nation breathed a collective sigh of relief as David Freese made his 2011 debut at Spring Training today in a game against the Minnesota Twins and did <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> injure either of his lower extremities.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Over the weekend, word that Dave’s first Spring Training appearance would be delayed after he *sigh* managed to hit a foul tip off his toe in a simulated game brought both groans and jabs at the seemingly injury-prone Cardinal hot corner.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Nevertheless, Freese’s outing today went very, very well. Still cautious running the basepaths, Freese managed 2 hits, 3 RBI, 2 assists and played 5+ innings as the Cardinals beat the Twins, 10-4. It was a pleasant surprise. Dare we hope for more of the same??</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Cardinals have warned us that Freese’s playing time will be limited as he continues to strengthen his ankles following surgery this offseason, cautiously predicting he will play every other day and working up to playing 2 out of 3. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After the good showing today, I gotta say that while I'd love to see more of Freese and his magical RBI bat, I am quite content to be patient.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Be careful,</div><div class="MsoNormal">Strengthen those pretty ankles,</div><div class="MsoNormal">And swing away, Dave! The scoreboard and the infield both look better with you in the game!</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-53345911553719957252011-03-07T10:16:00.001-06:002011-03-07T11:31:37.986-06:00What I Love About Baseball<div class="MsoNormal">Know what I love about baseball? Well, besides double plays, pick-offs, pay-off pitches and watching the fellas digging in at the plate?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIpF1Bkm80q2IHkdK75mCAakDSEHLV9TmsXAqDKumbKN6-dBA1bMrBnEuXVjSkVk1hPGSK6wuFFt-WcqVB5d0YObJjH4TLjXIzGhh_AlPQKp79dn7dPju-WqAbiyYztGxHDvuuHwwGClp/s1600/Baseballheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIpF1Bkm80q2IHkdK75mCAakDSEHLV9TmsXAqDKumbKN6-dBA1bMrBnEuXVjSkVk1hPGSK6wuFFt-WcqVB5d0YObJjH4TLjXIzGhh_AlPQKp79dn7dPju-WqAbiyYztGxHDvuuHwwGClp/s320/Baseballheart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">... I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i></b> how baseball fans who’ve never met before always find plenty to talk about. I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i></b> how it can bring families together at the ballpark after a grueling work week. I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i></b> that so many adults have treasured childhood memories of favorite baseball heroes or MLB game memories that they can recall in vivid detail. I <i style="font-weight: bold;">love </i>catching glimpses of Little Leaguers' imagined visions of grandeur as they attempt to emulate their favorite MLB stars.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My relatively young love of baseball has been fostered and encouraged by many people in my life. Some of those closest to me, like my darling Hubby, support my new passion with a wink and a smile (and trips to Spring Training!) My extended family and friends now keep closer tabs on the St. Louis Cardinals - and baseball in general. I smile to see an email from them checking in about Pujols news. It is just another reminder how baseball is a great way to casually reconnect.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have been even more profoundly amazed by how baseball reaches out in other less direct relationships. For example, one day last year, Hubby showed up from work with a stack of baseball cards. His boss had been escorting his daughter around antique stores on a trip out East. While waiting for his daughter, he noticed baseball cards on the shelves and remembered hearing how passionate I was about the Cardinals. I think he must have bought every Cardinal baseball card he could find that day! It meant so much to me, knowing that he appreciated my interest and picked up those Cardinal cards <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for me</i>! Some of those cards are now personal treasures…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another of Hubby’s business associates, Bob, lives in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Bob and I have chatted baseball at a few business dinners, and I have learned that Bob is not only a Blue Jays fan, but a true baseball fan. He has collected cards since childhood and knows more about the sport than I could ever dream of! This past December Bob surprised me by bringing a portion of the Cardinals cards he had collected as a child. He gave them to me, saying he knew I’d appreciate them. He could not have been more right! ;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Baseball has enriched my life in so many ways. It has brought me closer to family, uncles and brothers-in-law, who now banter with me about the Reds and the Brewers. Baseball has connected me with a wonderful network of Cardinal fans through blogging and twitter, many of whom have become dear friends. I am ever thankful for the game and what it has given me. And I am looking forward to another season of the blessing that is baseball.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">-----</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today’s Spring Training game is Cardinals vs. Twins at 12:05, central. David Freese makes his Spring Training debut at third base and Jake Westbrook is on the mound.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Go Cards!!! ;)</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-43460214619437606622011-03-05T11:13:00.001-06:002011-03-05T11:55:28.354-06:00Crowning the 2011 Ultimate Cardinal CrushWow! This seemingly harmless little poll adventure caused quite its share of drama and controversy. Apparently some of the UCB bloggers (not naming any names.... Mr. Ivie) were hoping to see their names on the ballot. (We love you, but this <i>was</i> just for the Cardinals <i>players,</i> guys...)<br />
<br />
Then Kevin (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/deckacards">@deckacards</a>) decided to call us out on twitter to Cardinals closer, <a href="http://cardinals.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=211041">Ryan Franklin</a> (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/franky3131">@Franky3131</a>)....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEdRZ16Weh64dC3uu3XUunSoSBsj2HDGAwUDb2Pmm-gZczZ45cH8VzNrwKzH_RnZE54zp8EHlkmlf6J_pFG6DFml65O4zTotYkFBHtaWMBkVKYc8KTwTts-pjCmdpKVfZ8oxfr9I2Ln6k/s1600/decka.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEdRZ16Weh64dC3uu3XUunSoSBsj2HDGAwUDb2Pmm-gZczZ45cH8VzNrwKzH_RnZE54zp8EHlkmlf6J_pFG6DFml65O4zTotYkFBHtaWMBkVKYc8KTwTts-pjCmdpKVfZ8oxfr9I2Ln6k/s1600/decka.JPG" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGn1R-Q9OLXsMe4F8p7L1HFDtAtcRFfnl_lYIFgVuxVdQHmWmfG82xHqxYx1DeHbMPAj5if4m0eZXi37oBTofwhHxlM1T6-pq-KEtSDO1g1-LDc00jSzChaKHSPtNCiuPtnoM_Wz2QJU2/s1600/franky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGn1R-Q9OLXsMe4F8p7L1HFDtAtcRFfnl_lYIFgVuxVdQHmWmfG82xHqxYx1DeHbMPAj5if4m0eZXi37oBTofwhHxlM1T6-pq-KEtSDO1g1-LDc00jSzChaKHSPtNCiuPtnoM_Wz2QJU2/s1600/franky.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Franky was awesome about it, and you really gotta love a Cardinal player who actually, you know.... <i>tweets</i> with fans. (ahem... <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/mattholliday7">@MattHolliday7</a>? where you been???)<br />
<br />
So in the fashion of Will Leitch (in his hilarious baseball book "Are We Winning?".... which I highly recommend, by the way) let's take a look at what we have learned:<br />
<br />
1. Even playful crush polls, much like junior high, can ruffle some feathers.<br />
2. Write-ins and options for "other" will not cover you.<br />
3. Men DO vote in crush polls but get more fun from stirring up trouble.<br />
4. <a href="http://cardinals.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=211041">Ryan Franklin</a> (and his goatee) are both<i> very</i> good sports. ;)<br />
<br />
<br />
But enough about that....<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7KnyW66QFEjAdYlUHfrs88fziO56-HunSUQX5P2TVYfWqK5r9bkNLjO4zBRjBKTpU9bQtRvf0Z2kJ4yc6tfsZIJW4GszMwr0GZv5GU-tYPQZJUALWfzve4asBHK8bmx1W4uPMqKIp7in/s1600/freese+2011+UCC+winner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif7KnyW66QFEjAdYlUHfrs88fziO56-HunSUQX5P2TVYfWqK5r9bkNLjO4zBRjBKTpU9bQtRvf0Z2kJ4yc6tfsZIJW4GszMwr0GZv5GU-tYPQZJUALWfzve4asBHK8bmx1W4uPMqKIp7in/s320/freese+2011+UCC+winner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtney presents Freese with the trophy! <br />
Dave is speechless but beams with pride. ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The results of our 2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush:<br />
1st place ( 34% of the votes) --- DAVID FREESE (the hot hotcorner with the delicate ankles)<br />
2nd place (14% of the votes) --- Yadier Molina (it's YADI!)<br />
3rd place ((11% of the votes) --- Skip Schumaker (aw, it's Skipperdoodle!)<br />
4th & 5th place (tied with 9%) --- Jaime Garcia and Daniel Descalso<br />
<br />
Honorable mentions go to Lance Berkman (7% of the votes), Chris Carpenter (5%), Matt Holliday (3%), Ryan Theriot (2%) and Jason Motte (2%).<br />
<br />
Thank you for voting!!! <br />
And Congratulations to David Freese. I promise I did not stuff the ballot box. ;)<br />
<br />
Cardinal Fans: if you haven't chimed in on the <a href="https://spreadsheets1.google.com/viewform?hl=en&hl=en&formkey=dF9RVzhPQmxYWTRLY1NNOE9zRWNyR2c6MQ#gid=0">Cardinal Approval Ratings</a> for our friend Daniel at <a href="http://www.cardinal70.com/">C70 At The Bat</a>, get on over there! This is his third year to take the pulse of Cardinal Nation, getting our opinions on key members of the team and organization. It's a quick poll, no crush questions involved. ;)Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-20821555994482530052011-03-01T11:55:00.002-06:002011-03-01T15:45:16.108-06:002011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush Poll<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</div><br />
The boys of summer are warming things up in Jupiter, Florida with Spring Training now underway, and all eyes are on the ball.<br />
<br />
Well.... maybe not <i>all </i>eyes... ;)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhYyTu_lM1V6ywdiH0F6ZO5DfbtSZRx9OccDICB8P2Lzg8b3a4fvXw_VXyIvFhX1rODYmVT6w9tih4PIhQsfyoWT5frzIduoGa_iID3oXsBZHLsoVrI2zaK9HPdQxAB6bFi74FJLXP9Xe/s1600/crush+list+poll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhYyTu_lM1V6ywdiH0F6ZO5DfbtSZRx9OccDICB8P2Lzg8b3a4fvXw_VXyIvFhX1rODYmVT6w9tih4PIhQsfyoWT5frzIduoGa_iID3oXsBZHLsoVrI2zaK9HPdQxAB6bFi74FJLXP9Xe/s640/crush+list+poll.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cardinal Crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We Diamond Diaries gals can get away with some things that the guys of the United Cardinal Bloggers cannot. And yet, who comes up with ideas such as a poll about the Ultimate Cardinal Crush? Yep, a guy! (calling you out, Bill Ivie!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zvBlWMWzZbA8wW06HStmtO0x3mFZSxMkIpBoedaYZx_uOuWUj70DcQYBF-Z0QchEf_0L1nRbPBL0Z0HanL5vCvIWqa5ZWwg3U-eYo37ltNDNaqdWDpI9RaX7Z1JMo9FOGYtO2tg-uJiP/s1600/crush+poll+new+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zvBlWMWzZbA8wW06HStmtO0x3mFZSxMkIpBoedaYZx_uOuWUj70DcQYBF-Z0QchEf_0L1nRbPBL0Z0HanL5vCvIWqa5ZWwg3U-eYo37ltNDNaqdWDpI9RaX7Z1JMo9FOGYtO2tg-uJiP/s400/crush+poll+new+boys.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New Boys on the Block</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So, in honor of heating things up for the 2011 Cardinals baseball season....<br />
<br />
*drum roll*<br />
<br />
We present your opportunity to have a little fun with us as we crown the Cardinal Diamond Diaries' 2011 Ultimate Cardinal Crush. <br />
<br />
All votes will be anonymous. So guys, feel free to cast your vote without fear. We are well aware that man-crushes count too. ;)<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="250" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dDExU2VON2xINWpGQVg2YWY1UC1IcVE6MA" width="450">&lt;p&gt;Loading...&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br />
<br />
Thanks for playing!<br />
(If you can't view our poll gadget on your mobile device and feel the intense need to vote before you can log onto a computer at home, feel free to leave your vote in the comments below. We'll make sure it counts!)Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-16497913024229450722011-02-28T09:00:00.014-06:002011-02-28T09:30:06.521-06:00United Cardinal Bloggers Roundtable:The Sophomore Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYgsr5Ro_XGMHPhjk8-KqfhhLKvZdq-FuCXtLKF6AjQcA-U5f5NHuA-s3m0lXDyodq_Grknu2rRm95ImQVUiYxgxAoEuFdh5sXb2ESWkhOL-6B7k786gYe-Lz86GonUh099NoTfYOUuqB/s1600/jaime.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYgsr5Ro_XGMHPhjk8-KqfhhLKvZdq-FuCXtLKF6AjQcA-U5f5NHuA-s3m0lXDyodq_Grknu2rRm95ImQVUiYxgxAoEuFdh5sXb2ESWkhOL-6B7k786gYe-Lz86GonUh099NoTfYOUuqB/s200/jaime.bmp" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Each day during the month of February, the United Cardinal Bloggers fire off an email roundtable discussion about all things baseball - from serious talk of lineups and rotations to the lighter side of the game such as wis</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">hlists for musical acts during the 2011 World Series at Busch. If you missed some of the fun, check out the full list of roundtable questions and responses at <a href="http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com/">http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com/</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmz9zidO4orT3Rxo_1HzRcLf6P9FT8JzfuWwpT-1Jp7fc_39dioqDROlfvxgbonavzhX3e_8JkKso1o4lWIIuLasWxv3sbY9RWyCGuCGrR-cNxhySfvWCT3oPT1xb_NrSqFqIHDGYEM2C/s1600/jay+and+craig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmz9zidO4orT3Rxo_1HzRcLf6P9FT8JzfuWwpT-1Jp7fc_39dioqDROlfvxgbonavzhX3e_8JkKso1o4lWIIuLasWxv3sbY9RWyCGuCGrR-cNxhySfvWCT3oPT1xb_NrSqFqIHDGYEM2C/s320/jay+and+craig.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This weekend, it was our turn to come up with a question. And since we gals love our babybirds, we decided to focus on the youngsters. We asked our fellow bloggers to predict how the Cardinals' Sophomore class would fare during the 2011 season.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Angela threw the topic into the ring with this email question:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN0jXyYaEoQJv2jbeOQjvcLck08-OZYcJKXpvlHvT9IZ04VIXx6Tup1jvUqtCwHbvko0TA-sTZtM-TWa5CiVjQLxyWFRiH0mXGi20CedCb-WmEwuZUqI1cmqDYFKlun4MfJFt3LKNK0A1/s1600/freese+smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN0jXyYaEoQJv2jbeOQjvcLck08-OZYcJKXpvlHvT9IZ04VIXx6Tup1jvUqtCwHbvko0TA-sTZtM-TWa5CiVjQLxyWFRiH0mXGi20CedCb-WmEwuZUqI1cmqDYFKlun4MfJFt3LKNK0A1/s320/freese+smile.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Let's focus on a less threatening question today and look at all of the sophomores on the Cardinals roster. Who of these players is due for a big season, and who is in for a sophomore slump? Your choices: David Freese, Jon Jay, Allen Craig, and Jaime Garcia."</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bill Ivie (<a href="http://www.i70baseball.com/">I-70 baseball</a>)</span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">I look for Jon Jay to have a bit of a slump as he adjusts to being a part time player most of the time this year. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">As for breakout years, as much as I have said the opposite, my gut and hope is that Craig is due to show that he belongs in the bigs. My mind tells me that is not going to happen and we have a better shot of a solid year from the glass ankles of David Freese. I would look for Mr. Freese to put up a solid .280/20HR/85RBI season and be considered a solid option at third for a few years</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daniel Shoptaw (<a href="http://www.cardinal70.com/">C70 At The Bat</a>) </span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">I'm with Bill, I think Jay slides some, due to both lack of playing time and the fact that he kind got figured out at the end of last season. He'll be of value, of course, but may not be quite as impressive as he was last year. Garcia will slip a bit as well, but as we discussed in a previous question, that doesn't necessarily mean that he won't still be good.</span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You figure if Freese can stay healthy, he's going to easily be more than he was last year. I also think that if Craig can get some regular at-bats, no matter where it may be, he'll bring something to the table as well.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dennis Lawson (<a href="http://www.pitchershiteighth.com/">Pitchers Hit Eighth</a>)</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I think that Freese has the best opportunity for a big season, because he has the best opportunity to play and make an impact. In theory, I look for Jay to slide based on lack of playing time, but we've already seen that projecting playing time is a very slippery slope. TLR has a lot of mix-n-match options, and an injury to any of the position players could completely change the formula. With that in mind, Allen Craig could have a really good showing simply by being in the right place at the right time in 2011. </span></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mark Tomasik (<a href="http://retrosimba.com/">Retrosimba</a>)</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">If he stays healthy, David Freese seems poised for a productive season at the plate and in the field. Could see him generating significant run production with gap-power. I suspect Jon Jay is in for a sophomore slump, primarily because of lack of playing time. I’m worried about Jaime Garcia being able to duplicate or exceed last season’s performance, but I’m in denial about it because Cardinals cannot afford him to slump after Adam Wainwright’s setback.</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b>Christine Coleman (<a href="http://www.aaronmilesfastball.com/">Aaron Miles' Fastball</a>)</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">f Freese can stay healthy, I think he will be due for a big season. He definitely showed the potential during his healthy times last year, so staying healthy throughout all of 2011 will likely be his biggest challenge. If he can meet it, he should have a big year. I think that Jaime Garcia will have a little bit of a sophomore slump, yet still play a very significant role in the Cards rotation (all the more important now). Like others have already said, I think that Jon Jay will have a little bit of a sophomore slump just based on his presumptive decrease in playing time. Hopefully Craig will see his playing time increase this season as well.</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dustin McClure (<a href="http://www.welcometobaseballheaven.com/">Welcome to Baseball Heaven</a>)</span></b></span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like most of my fellow bloggers have stated I’m going to predict a very nice season for David Freese barring injury. Unfortunately the way this season has started I’ll be more than surprised if he doesn’t land on the DL for an extended period.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jaime Garcia set the bar so high for himself it’s going to be hard for him to repeat that success. Some regression for Jaime, but not a sophomore slump my any means.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for Jon Jay and Allen Craig my gut feeling predicts a semi-breakout season for Craig. He’s done nothing but rake in Memphis and I’m hopeful with regular MLB at bats he can have similar production. As far as Jay goes I’m thinking Skip Schumaker type offensive numbers. To me Jay projects as a long term 4<sup style="color: black;">th</sup> outfielder while Craig could be the Cardinals right fielder of the future.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b>Matthew Philip (<a href="http://www.fungoes.net/">Fungoes</a>)</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">David Freese seems the best equipped to go big this season, though his hopes are limited by the same thing that prevented a breakout rookie season in 2010: health. And that reality leads to Allen Craig potentially performing better this year, if for no other reason than he might get more playing time (filling in for Freese) and can't do much worse than his .282 BABIP last season. Bill James even projects him for a .350 wOBA, which is more in line with his minor-league numbers. Realistically, Garcia is going to look like he's slumping, though he'll probably simply be performing more toward what his numbers should've been last year: an expected FIP an entire point above his ERA.</span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Bob Netherton (<a href="http://ontheoutsidecorner.wordpress.com/">On The Outside Corner</a>)</span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">For a breakout season, you have to go with David Freese because either way it goes, you'll be right :-) He'll either hit .280, 12 homers and drive in 75 runs or some part of a stadium will fall on him in a game and break some body part. David Freese is more than just a baseball player, he's a walking anatomy lesson.<br />
<br />
The sophomore slump will have to go to Jon Jay, although that's not altogether fair. The lack of consistent playing time will hurt him somewhat. Add to that some expectations from last year that are unrealistically high, he will have the perception of slumping.<br />
<br />
I do believe that Jaime Garcia will defy all of the projections and have a terrific year. Every once in a while a player comes along that just doesn't fit the model, and I believe Garcia is that player.</span></span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Erika (Cardinal Diamond Diaries)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ever the Cardinal optimist, I foresee our sophomores surging ahead this year. Jaime Garcia had a phenomenal first year. With his maturity and professional demeanor, I expect him to continue to grow with experience and step up again this season to make up for the absence of Adam Wainwright.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am hopeful that both Jon Jay and Allen Craig will get enough playing time to further hone their big league skills. Jay did burst onto the scene last season with what could only be described as offensive magic last year, but slid a little back into the realms of reality as opposing pitchers became familiar. Allen Craig, on the other hand struggled offensively from inconsistent playing time. I think both their numbers normalize to some solid contributions in 2011.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then there's David Freese. Pardon me a moment while I stop and smile? OK... all better now. ;) Dave has worked his tail off over the winter rehabbing not one, but two ankles. Tagged with the "injury prone" label is never a good thing. This is the season that Freese makes us all forget about the past. <s>If</s> When he stays healthy, David Freese is going to have an amazing year. Back in 2010 we saw his power and range. I'm looking forward to a solid year for Dave! *fingers crossed* </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to the UCB group above for joining the conversation! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Cardinals play their first Spring Training game today! Doesn't that just make your Monday better? Have a great week everyone! =)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div></div></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-25682805857292394742011-02-26T15:57:00.000-06:002011-02-26T15:57:24.745-06:00Compare and Contrast - Class<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYB5E3hedR9csoMC1GCCbxrYu41egKi_EKM0ITliG1mfhzZhk9ucZwkahLcQDESInV3YzthryXh3lwYpBGrc4wvB0ZoaIWbgMUIpPDQ4zkDf6AXA5dCwjGlaIQfF2_HWtgA0DEdVTdCw/s1600/Molina-Wainwright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYB5E3hedR9csoMC1GCCbxrYu41egKi_EKM0ITliG1mfhzZhk9ucZwkahLcQDESInV3YzthryXh3lwYpBGrc4wvB0ZoaIWbgMUIpPDQ4zkDf6AXA5dCwjGlaIQfF2_HWtgA0DEdVTdCw/s200/Molina-Wainwright.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waino no bueno? *tear*<br />
h/t @MatthewHLeach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I sat, stunned, as I saw twitter explode with the news that Adam Wainwright was heading to St. Louis with elbow trouble. My fears were realized when another explosion occurred in my little corner of the internet with the sad tale that Waino was going to be shut down for the year to have Tommy John surgery. I then became horrified when I heard of Jonny Gomes's comments about the matter.<br />
<br />
So what I'm here to talk about today is this - <u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">class.</u> Some people have it, others need it, and others need it defined for them before they can figure out how to get it.<br />
<br />
*ahem*<br />
<br />
What happened with Gomes frustrated me. The cover-up/spin put on it by the Reds organization/media made it seem all the more ridiculous that people allow themselves to say things like that without realizing that yes, your voice is being heard, and your words will be spread to the masses by lunchtime thanks to twitter, blogs, and the like. If you're looking for amusing thoughts on the situation, head over to <a href="http://www.pitchershiteighth.com/2011/02/23/10-humanity-jonny-gomes/">Pitcher's Hit Eighth</a>... Dennis did a better job injecting some amusement into the situation than I ever could.<br />
<br />
I could handle the Gomes thing to a certain extent. At least someone was bright enough to tell him that he should probably apologize. He's in the spotlight. I definitely hit the eject button this afternoon though when I spotted a comment awaiting moderation from a Reds fan. It was posted on Erika's goodbye to Jason LaRue from back in September. I did not publish said comment due to the fact that it used no less than six words that I would not be allowed to speak at my grandmother's dinner table, much less publish as representation of a website that I belong to. What sparked such heinous comments months after the fact is absolutely beyond me. All I could think to say was, "Stay classy, Reds fans."<br />
<br />
This morning I was directed to<a href="http://e-fellowship-dailybread.blogspot.com/2011/02/where-does-your-identity-lie.html"> this post</a> written by none other than Adam Wainwright himself. I was mesmerized while reading it. I already had a tremendous respect for Adam as a player, person, and Christian, but what I read in that post made that admiration grow exponentially. If I were him, I would have felt devastated with the news that my body had broken down on me at such a high point in my career. Instead he is looking at it as an opportunity, a way to spread God's love to others through his actions and words off of the diamond. He won't be gone though, as evidenced by this thought:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I absolutely hate the idea of missing this season with teammates. I think we have a real good shot to win the World Series. The group we have is really special, and I'll have my pom pom''s out in full force.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">But here's the deal. This injury, the one that makes me miss an entire year of baseball, has allowed me to stop missing what is right in front of me. I am blessed with an amazing God. A God who continues to teach me lessons in mysterious ways.</span></blockquote>I love that! Waino's got class. He will be back. I hope Cardinal fans take after him, instead of spending their time firing dumb comments into the atmosphere in retaliation of what others say about our team.Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-28003348428540009712011-02-16T23:33:00.001-06:002011-02-16T23:37:20.156-06:00Kid In A Candy StoreI know that there are about three of you out there that have been waiting for this post, but I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well...<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>This past weekend was the first Midwest Baseball Writer's Conference, held at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, Missouri. I know, a long trip for me, but worth every second. I got to leave the snow of Wisconsin, enjoy a few days of sunshine in Missouri, see a truckload of sports history, and talk baseball for an entire day? WIN.</div><div><br />
</div><div>For those of you (I'm assuming most of you) that have never been able to check out the Hall of Fame before, I snapped some pics on my dumbphone (that would be a non-smartphone) for your enjoyment.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8V6j3EIRv1aga2Pn6FQQLixlhuvu-ztk8TSPmHYozIwx2w2of_3via2SLzE0Rru3K7HPCU41aib2Bbk3NwSFLwUcTGphXJdr-KZwZyvsv4lTBXf3PYGcKUsb2Jmr61hqeHBUGfz1bFo/s1600/Photo02121001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8V6j3EIRv1aga2Pn6FQQLixlhuvu-ztk8TSPmHYozIwx2w2of_3via2SLzE0Rru3K7HPCU41aib2Bbk3NwSFLwUcTGphXJdr-KZwZyvsv4lTBXf3PYGcKUsb2Jmr61hqeHBUGfz1bFo/s320/Photo02121001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stan's corner, complete with a TV showing his enshrinement<br />
into the hall (he played his harmonica!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpp0GsJ6lX1Xv8OtzzvMNEtmlwZXIK2bp7wazrfFvPiHeXrQv-meyEmye3QsnkXVdO7s_uS1A1d3QB_rup_t1dfWczAFMMpNJ7yG01D0b-6ucKgEKwxtyTz6IU6rjfbJ3UGPXmzkwYxE/s1600/Photo02121016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpp0GsJ6lX1Xv8OtzzvMNEtmlwZXIK2bp7wazrfFvPiHeXrQv-meyEmye3QsnkXVdO7s_uS1A1d3QB_rup_t1dfWczAFMMpNJ7yG01D0b-6ucKgEKwxtyTz6IU6rjfbJ3UGPXmzkwYxE/s320/Photo02121016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Cards section, including lots of momentos from the<br />
2006 World Series</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>I know that I could have spent several more hours reading all of the various plaques that were in the upstairs of the museum. Some of my favorites included...</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObfCV7Tsh1uRk-_9DwJLgOIQllx57eiuSIUznP1bCXi6sjI1tysUG4NT6AhDDXV7iidYgjGUNKjzkSsRqUUEDaGeM1SvBtJzjjDo09yAuegQVrdmDPsoGU113H6e4ngr9fQeDpZZMHXU/s1600/Photo02121036_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObfCV7Tsh1uRk-_9DwJLgOIQllx57eiuSIUznP1bCXi6sjI1tysUG4NT6AhDDXV7iidYgjGUNKjzkSsRqUUEDaGeM1SvBtJzjjDo09yAuegQVrdmDPsoGU113H6e4ngr9fQeDpZZMHXU/s320/Photo02121036_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Branch Rickey<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCm_coFX8kWtbg5bnMmwd39WiAT5NtzX8lHPMySZgYIgyaUyHSnUnec0aOG1RvGoXQ37EguVVFtDfEb_qUKLzn4LPHI3FSxCO-67h45zl-hlZgeCpWDQxuZF1LcX54tZ1FJfQx3ySUKg/s1600/Photo02121038_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCm_coFX8kWtbg5bnMmwd39WiAT5NtzX8lHPMySZgYIgyaUyHSnUnec0aOG1RvGoXQ37EguVVFtDfEb_qUKLzn4LPHI3FSxCO-67h45zl-hlZgeCpWDQxuZF1LcX54tZ1FJfQx3ySUKg/s320/Photo02121038_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rogers Hornsby</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZlJiTLWealTt4IuCecz-iBWycD11aEUYpPNVm0eCdn83jVp2TnaQiDwp-7xrjOF4RI2J-pgRPuF6ogS6NtcsdSpqz2RUXDMdAhix3my_grBl1oBMmBLVslLPJF3INMdATshmuf4a7sk/s1600/Photo02121038_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZlJiTLWealTt4IuCecz-iBWycD11aEUYpPNVm0eCdn83jVp2TnaQiDwp-7xrjOF4RI2J-pgRPuF6ogS6NtcsdSpqz2RUXDMdAhix3my_grBl1oBMmBLVslLPJF3INMdATshmuf4a7sk/s320/Photo02121038_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Buck</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4x-YEUazaUhLEBrY013kkuN1i3oinNzEsaIk_20nmmjjLbEk4Q8hhsv5xTXh-RlGRH1GSR7qIv03dywy8Tl4MxDs1_f-xpEyOGSu7XBo2IaO2-wGyiE41iap8nMcrblkTihcAeug41x8/s1600/Photo02121036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4x-YEUazaUhLEBrY013kkuN1i3oinNzEsaIk_20nmmjjLbEk4Q8hhsv5xTXh-RlGRH1GSR7qIv03dywy8Tl4MxDs1_f-xpEyOGSu7XBo2IaO2-wGyiE41iap8nMcrblkTihcAeug41x8/s320/Photo02121036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stan Musial (of course)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Of course, I checked out all the sports fun and games. For the record, I am horrible at the football throw, but think I could take most of you at shooting free throws. An interesting one was the simulation where you could watch a major league pitch. The Cardinal player you could pick was Darryl Kile, so of course I had to see what his 12-to-6 curveball would look like coming in to me at the plate. It's definitely worth the trip to see the history, but the little kid in me couldn't walk away from the games either!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Of course, if you go to a conference, you should actually talk about the presenters, right? Up first on the day was <a href="http://www.i70baseball.com/?author=23">John Lofflin</a>, a journalism professor at Park University in Parkville, MO (and writer over at i70 Baseball). John's section was labeled "Interlopers in Eden: Sports Writers, Gamblers, Gurus and Women." He talked on many different baseball books, what the author's intent was, the thought process that readers go through as they journey through the stories, and how the different 'villains' (for lack of a better term) were portrayed. I had to laugh at the inclusion of women in the title, considering I was the only one there! Matt Kelsy made a good point in the discussion when he stated the following:</div><blockquote><i><b>These stories aren't about baseball. They're about life. They just use baseball to tell the story.</b></i></blockquote>I couldn't agree more. One of the best things about this conference was the discussion feel of it. We weren't there to be lectured at, but to be chatting about the game we all obviously loved. <br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Roger Erickson was up next. Roger is the head of the Kansas City chapter of <a href="http://sabr.org/">SABR</a>, that is, the Society for American Baseball Research. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what all SABR had their little hands in, but in reality it is quite a lot. People point to them as the creators of more advanced sabermetrics such as WAR, WHIP, and many other statistics that we've just accepted into our mainstream baseball vocabulary. I got a good laugh when the first thing he stood up and said was, "The first thing I want you to know about us is that we are not all baseball nerds." I looked around the room... do you really think any person in there listening to him was not a baseball nerd? Nice.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Steve Sommer from <a href="http://gashousegraphs.com/">Gashouse Graphs</a> was last up on the agenda, and my math background had a major geek-out during this one. Steve and Erik run an amazing site using all kinds of advanced statistical analysis to do anything from predict trends in current players (like <a href="http://gashousegraphs.com/2011/02/07/gotw-week-of-7-feb/">this post</a> on Motte's fastball velocity) and do things like <a href="http://gashousegraphs.com/2011/01/28/jim-edmonds-no-doubt-hall-of-famer/">this post on Jim Edmonds</a> where they prove that he is a no-doubt Hall of Famer. Steve actually sat down and explain in broad terms how WAR is calculated, which I was happy about. It seemed like this mystical number that people came up with, and in reality... umm... it kind of is. Okay, take it back, there is a method to it, but there's still a lot of room for interpretation too. Obviously not an exact science, but there is some reasoning, so I feel better.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Long story short, y'all should have been there. I think that we all walked away learning a little more, enjoying some great history in the museum, and, if nothing else, getting to enjoy a day of talking about baseball, both past and present. I'll let Jack Buck tell you how I felt about this day...</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjhdn6ddi1BlpvZxVi-hHP0luFV56eV2T9xkuIvgO82Jv2lKXl-XjJTZD62nqLNtfzTilybjsD8qtUy6RXqVV4LQZAPN5pAwa5irAaO27RihTwelvoINPMmz4baxeBmUE-X6upz_gKJQ/s1600/Photo02121042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjhdn6ddi1BlpvZxVi-hHP0luFV56eV2T9xkuIvgO82Jv2lKXl-XjJTZD62nqLNtfzTilybjsD8qtUy6RXqVV4LQZAPN5pAwa5irAaO27RihTwelvoINPMmz4baxeBmUE-X6upz_gKJQ/s320/Photo02121042.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Yes it is Jack... yes it is.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCle_EpqQycgz7GRxopIgn0f6-eYqMWV2XXtyt1VhaUAlFwnn_2Tah5oeWPuDs3v6BkkqesrvfeGedqltaFx2Rfi0Pv0T4R4Yrpo21XEggrkHvR5eZoR_N7uRZTgZItLHdON9D6CUbZc/s1600/Photo02121040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCle_EpqQycgz7GRxopIgn0f6-eYqMWV2XXtyt1VhaUAlFwnn_2Tah5oeWPuDs3v6BkkqesrvfeGedqltaFx2Rfi0Pv0T4R4Yrpo21XEggrkHvR5eZoR_N7uRZTgZItLHdON9D6CUbZc/s320/Photo02121040.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, this is what happens when I'm left unsupervised with baseball history all around me.<br />
You know, in case you were wondering...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-82722488764226920092011-02-08T09:50:00.000-06:002011-02-08T09:50:18.214-06:00My, How Things Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcwTFg05uKa0R0s-F19YTHN_j7bJTPEQ3DIKtusNCH1VkoYD_rdUHcgsXTdlkQoGDKbta_SgwsbJRXWSg1CmMNpQxRJRIwIf3wOiW1HVbc97g7n3_q_H8N4aqLUQruRQCLGkz_3_BbFF0/s1600/jupiter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcwTFg05uKa0R0s-F19YTHN_j7bJTPEQ3DIKtusNCH1VkoYD_rdUHcgsXTdlkQoGDKbta_SgwsbJRXWSg1CmMNpQxRJRIwIf3wOiW1HVbc97g7n3_q_H8N4aqLUQruRQCLGkz_3_BbFF0/s200/jupiter.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I laugh realizing just five years ago the name Jupiter made me think planet, not <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And “Truck Day” would have meant the local Chevy dealer was having a sale.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now those words give me happy shivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baseball is coming!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We survived the long winter, football is finally over and even the groundhog wants an early Spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Who would think that seeing crates of sugarless bubblegum and sunflower seeds loaded onto a truck could bring such joy to the hearts of hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of American adults?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, we can all smile a little bigger now, knowing those trucks, loaded with vital ballplayer gear and supplies, are on their way to Jupiter….Florida, not the planet. And the first Spring Training camp workouts start February 14<sup>th</sup> for pitchers and catchers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Yes, we soon will have baseball!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTbKa74cbnzlI2b6LPzH0QQHgG-ayTvhr0Q_t7O1pkX72XL2-3zt-FEhgr2wAUwuEtdqTE9LBxAG68q9D2YZ5RI-Lz7kWf9AVbVmW8ah8qtvZr5ZPpBKmSsIGJ8lMB-i7_DS7Hx4xq0WV/s1600/Baseballheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTbKa74cbnzlI2b6LPzH0QQHgG-ayTvhr0Q_t7O1pkX72XL2-3zt-FEhgr2wAUwuEtdqTE9LBxAG68q9D2YZ5RI-Lz7kWf9AVbVmW8ah8qtvZr5ZPpBKmSsIGJ8lMB-i7_DS7Hx4xq0WV/s200/Baseballheart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Wait…February 14<sup>th</sup>….</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That date used to mean something different too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>My, how things change when you fall in love with baseball!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-23649469359464611352011-02-05T10:43:00.002-06:002011-02-05T14:41:01.136-06:00And the Pujols Biography winners are.....Drumroll please?<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GxCF7LVqOxI?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GxCF7LVqOxI?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Our three winners of CDD's first ever giveaway are:<br />
Diane Schultz<br />
Bryan Felker<br />
and Debra Pearlstein<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjfhm-BxEKes3EnxOpK1oIoEL7bMOwT7Di3EgH-RSV4h9TldGErvhTYALzg_FI_wPu-YMIGNEo-ssrmZgs_zJDusozyTHa0HM1fJ6pQPU2GuKyIqzL5zHhYIPDPU8-pThAGNDpttGr-dX/s1600/Pujols+book+FINAL+hi+res+3D+cover+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjfhm-BxEKes3EnxOpK1oIoEL7bMOwT7Di3EgH-RSV4h9TldGErvhTYALzg_FI_wPu-YMIGNEo-ssrmZgs_zJDusozyTHa0HM1fJ6pQPU2GuKyIqzL5zHhYIPDPU8-pThAGNDpttGr-dX/s320/Pujols+book+FINAL+hi+res+3D+cover+image.png" width="236" /></a><b><i>**Congratulations!!**</i></b><br />
<br />
If you are one of our lucky winners, please send your mailing address to cardsdiamonddiary@gmail.com to claim your book.<br />
<br />
*winners have until February 11th at 5pm to claim their copies. If not claimed, a new drawing will be held from among the original entries.<br />
<br />
Big thanks to all of you who took the time to enter. We found all the <s>kissing up</s> fun and creative entries extremely entertaining! ;)<br />
<br />
And thank you again to Thomas Nelson Publishers for allowing us here at Cardinal Diamond Diaries the chance to spread some baseball joy with the free copies of their new book,<i><b> Pujols: More Than The Game. </b></i><br />
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262525; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></i></b></span></i></b><br />
<i><b></b></i><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262525; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Want a copy for yourself?</span></i></b></span></i></b><br />
<div></div><div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262525; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;"></span></i></b></span></i></b><br />
<div style="display: inline !important;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #262525; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 20px;">Check your local bookstore or order online at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pujols-More-Than-Scott-Lamb/dp/1595552243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296251582&sr=1-1">Amazon.com</a>.</span></i></b></span></i></b></div></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-56980009941776842392011-02-04T15:06:00.000-06:002011-02-04T15:06:42.770-06:00The Return of Jimmy Ballgame!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rWNYUUxFcwyKZL73hINk8DbllRMKnIsP6jTSGqtqYwfVO1bUIZmL4ZNZ5b_Vn1054TAGIo4ixELsLjxD6uifINB5MIYbUcouuHaFwIQrdUTNNdXJnNRqvYmfcqIOjgLZj_XiHWMdUbZP/s1600/jimedmonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rWNYUUxFcwyKZL73hINk8DbllRMKnIsP6jTSGqtqYwfVO1bUIZmL4ZNZ5b_Vn1054TAGIo4ixELsLjxD6uifINB5MIYbUcouuHaFwIQrdUTNNdXJnNRqvYmfcqIOjgLZj_XiHWMdUbZP/s320/jimedmonds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The news hit twitter like a wildfire this afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jim Edmonds has signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing better on a cold, snowy afternoon than seeing Cardinal Nation get all heated up about Jimmy Edmonds coming back to the nest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We are so tired of <i>no news</i> that suddenly Jimmy’s new minor league contract comeback is sparking conversations that include all corners of the Cardinal roster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will he replace Colby Rasmus?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is he the Cardinals next batting coach?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugh, another old veteran signing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and my personal favorite:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does this mean the Cardinals aren’t signing Pujols?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The way I see it… let’s just relax and enjoy the fun with this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jimmy’s coming to Spring Training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He might now (finally) get to retire a Cardinal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not reading too much into this yet…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Welcome back Jimmy!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for heating up the baseball talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It warms my heart to see all the Cardinals fans come out of hibernation to chatter about our newest returning Redbird.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pitchers and Catchers in less than two weeks? Spring Training right around the corner? Fantabulous!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Go Cards =)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-1696517733687814592011-01-31T06:36:00.000-06:002011-01-31T06:36:04.756-06:00Win a Pujols Biography<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3xmwYrQTbgGLz0TEQ3e_Q6SSZeCb0l7B1GL7SBLbFAe1Wrgt4pkEPuEXWuCQGHcslge8y_Iex1OuGsiQ-FgE-kfva2p-4St5XIB0vKcvUKUqEMJaElVU7s3fypfIKexKKx2dr7zz7DVM/s1600/contest+winner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3xmwYrQTbgGLz0TEQ3e_Q6SSZeCb0l7B1GL7SBLbFAe1Wrgt4pkEPuEXWuCQGHcslge8y_Iex1OuGsiQ-FgE-kfva2p-4St5XIB0vKcvUKUqEMJaElVU7s3fypfIKexKKx2dr7zz7DVM/s200/contest+winner.jpg" width="200" /></a>Cardinal Diamond Diaries is having our first ever Giveaway!!<br />
<br />
The publisher of the new Albert Pujols Biography<i> </i>has generously offered to give three Diamond Diaries readers each a free copy of <i>Pujols: More Than A Game.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<br />
So, what do you have to do to be one of our three winners?<br />
<br />
Well, we considered a number of challenging contests...<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Costume contest: dress up in your best #5 impersonation</li>
<li>Essay: You are stuck in an elevator with Albert Pujols. Tell us about your conversation.</li>
<li>Pet pictures: does your pet look like one of the St. Louis Cardinals? </li>
<li>a raffle (we Diamond Diaries gals could use a tropical vacation) </li>
</ul><div>But in the end, we decided to go easy on you and pick three names out of a baseball cap ... a Cardinals cap of course. ;)</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjfhm-BxEKes3EnxOpK1oIoEL7bMOwT7Di3EgH-RSV4h9TldGErvhTYALzg_FI_wPu-YMIGNEo-ssrmZgs_zJDusozyTHa0HM1fJ6pQPU2GuKyIqzL5zHhYIPDPU8-pThAGNDpttGr-dX/s1600/Pujols+book+FINAL+hi+res+3D+cover+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjfhm-BxEKes3EnxOpK1oIoEL7bMOwT7Di3EgH-RSV4h9TldGErvhTYALzg_FI_wPu-YMIGNEo-ssrmZgs_zJDusozyTHa0HM1fJ6pQPU2GuKyIqzL5zHhYIPDPU8-pThAGNDpttGr-dX/s320/Pujols+book+FINAL+hi+res+3D+cover+image.png" width="238" /></a></div><div>So.... <b>if you want to be entered in the drawing just add your name in the comments below</b>. We will draw three winners from the names entered. *Bonus points will be given if you include a short reason why you should be one of CDD's first ever contest winners! </div><div><br />
</div><div>Deadline for entry: next Friday (February 4th) at 5pm. </div><div><br />
</div><div>P.S. If you happen to be "one of those people who never wins anything," you can order your book from amazon instead. </div><div>We'll even make it easy.... here's the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pujols-More-Than-Scott-Lamb/dp/1595552243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296251582&sr=1-1">link</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Fine print:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Winning names will be posted here on Cardinal Diamond Diaries after February 4th. Winners will be asked to provide their mailing address (via email to us here at CDD) and that information will be provided only to the publisher who will send each winner their book. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">** Bonus points will be awarded separately and although highly sought after, will not improve your chances of winning.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div>Good Luck, Cardinal Fans!! =)</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-13402245251288505702011-01-28T18:10:00.000-06:002011-01-28T18:10:30.143-06:00Albert Who?<div class="MsoNormal">I have felt rather guilty (as a Cardinal fan) for having these thoughts, but honestly,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am tired of hearing about Albert Pujols</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNuW0h2_4_W94c7CPjqtNBXH1J3B8tSAHrO8nP5znlQHBU67GCe7IL8d6dnj7OV1THW0yxG_x39cB4BRTymg6z7_E7LdyaCuZXuXjykvHuYvgctyOI8rE26MN9vNtEy_PR5q4tizFoS74/s1600/Albert+Pujols+%252821%2529+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNuW0h2_4_W94c7CPjqtNBXH1J3B8tSAHrO8nP5znlQHBU67GCe7IL8d6dnj7OV1THW0yxG_x39cB4BRTymg6z7_E7LdyaCuZXuXjykvHuYvgctyOI8rE26MN9vNtEy_PR5q4tizFoS74/s200/Albert+Pujols+%252821%2529+2.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">For weeks I have been unable to muster the enthusiasm to read one more article, blog or interview about Mr. Pujols or his looming contract deadline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The topic is simply stale, all supposition. There has been nothing new or exciting to banter about concerning the future of Albert with the Cardinals for weeks (maybe months). Even the intelligent opinions have been recycled ad nauseum over the winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can something so important become…. well, so boring?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And more importantly…. why am I writing a blog about the very topic that bores me to tears?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a few days ago I had a surprisingly engaging and fresh discussion about this very Albert topic, including the reasons why I think it is a waste of time and mental energy to discuss it further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the way, if you are still reading, thank you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have moved on after the title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Fresh Look At The Pujols Contract Saga –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A True Story<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The scene:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lunch hour at a busy Chili’s restaurant in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Oklahoma City</st1:city></st1:place></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The cast:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two dazzling ladies meeting for lunch. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The blonde - lives and breathes for the St. Louis Cardinals. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The brunette - relatively unbaseballed, but a great listener and friend. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After catching up on life, family and work, my charming and intelligent brunette friend asks me about baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(She doesn’t really care about the sport, but as one of my closest friends, knows how much I love to talk about it.) I sigh and tell her “there just isn’t all that much to talk about… other than Albert Pujols… and I am sooooo tired of talking about Albert.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">She looks at me, surprised and confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not talking</i> about baseball is on par with Oprah’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not talking</i> about light bulb moments … or something like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Her reply was “Albert Pujols? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I’ve heard that name.” (She probably recognized it from the hours she has logged kindly lending an ear while I energetically prattle on and on about the Cardinals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I mention she is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> good friend?)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, almost reluctantly, I fill her in on the very basic bullet points, expecting to leave it at that, thus completing my duty to enlighten any willing, listening ear on the current news of Cardinal baseball.</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Albert’s contract with the Cardinals will expire after this season, and he has said he will not continue contract negotiations once Spring Training has begun so as not to interfere with the 2011 season.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Albert and the Cardinals have agreed that negotiations will not be played out in the press.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we know little else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z08MUwGFtgVXs03Y4y5Ny8pml0rrDpi8dS7E2mH61bmhuhCcx6CdcPydkaNzmzaFkHpJcbTg_X0IkCmmLBiuS8DFkPIWG1bDVkmXx1rygQyOXEnGQP-ZHHu70hy_RxI3sekXomGlahZM/s1600/Albert+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z08MUwGFtgVXs03Y4y5Ny8pml0rrDpi8dS7E2mH61bmhuhCcx6CdcPydkaNzmzaFkHpJcbTg_X0IkCmmLBiuS8DFkPIWG1bDVkmXx1rygQyOXEnGQP-ZHHu70hy_RxI3sekXomGlahZM/s320/Albert+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">What followed was a fresh and welcome discussion about how and why this contract negotiation is so very important to fans, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:city>, the Cardinals, and baseball as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because my friend had no background or loyalty to the team, I had to turn the issue upside down, seeing it from an outsider’s point of view and start from scratch in order to explain (and justify) the very facts that have lulled me into a coma these past months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I did my best to describe the angst felt by Cardinal fans at the thought of losing the “face of the franchise.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I explained the level of commitment Albert and his family have made to the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:city> community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When challenged about the potential of this being just another example of greedy professional athletes, I shared stories of Albert’s character, dedication to his faith , his charitable spirit and his work with children affected by Down Syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself defending the justification of paying vast sums of money to an athlete because of his elite status compared to contracts of other marquee players and the important benchmark that a Pujols’ contract would set. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We touched on the excesses of the sport, the responsibilities of ownership to the fans and realistic (versus unrealistic) expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We laughed, wondering if we (as average folk) would even notice a difference between earning 25 million and 30 million a year. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our discussion brought me to the realization that while I may be exhausted by the stale discussion of “will he or won’t he,” I was pleased to discover that I do still care very deeply about the outcome of the Pujols contract negotiations. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, if you too are weary of all the supposition, hearsay and stirred-up drama, <u><i>thank you</i></u> for spending your valuable time reading yet another blog on the topic. I am hopeful we will soon all be privy to the scrumptious details of what will surely be a history-making contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we can move on to the “Did the Cardinals Overspend” debates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Until then, I highly recommend attempting to explain the importance of the Albert Pujols’ contract to your Oprah-loving neighbor, your pen-pal from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> or your two-year-old niece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps getting back to the basics will inspire in you a renewed appreciation for Mr. Pujols and the game of baseball… just long enough to get you through until the big announcement, or Opening Day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tick tock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjfhm-BxEKes3EnxOpK1oIoEL7bMOwT7Di3EgH-RSV4h9TldGErvhTYALzg_FI_wPu-YMIGNEo-ssrmZgs_zJDusozyTHa0HM1fJ6pQPU2GuKyIqzL5zHhYIPDPU8-pThAGNDpttGr-dX/s1600/Pujols+book+FINAL+hi+res+3D+cover+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjfhm-BxEKes3EnxOpK1oIoEL7bMOwT7Di3EgH-RSV4h9TldGErvhTYALzg_FI_wPu-YMIGNEo-ssrmZgs_zJDusozyTHa0HM1fJ6pQPU2GuKyIqzL5zHhYIPDPU8-pThAGNDpttGr-dX/s320/Pujols+book+FINAL+hi+res+3D+cover+image.png" width="238" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Postscript:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an oddly ironic, yet timely twist of fate, the publisher of the new Albert Pujols biography contacted Diamond Diaries today offering to give three copies of the new book to our readers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Keep checking back for your chance to win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Details coming soon!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>If you can’t wait, you can preorder your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pujols-More-Than-Scott-Lamb/dp/1595552243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296251582&sr=1-1">here</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It should release any day now on amazon and will hit bookstores on February 22nd. </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It looks to be a welcome distraction… I wonder if there is a chapter on contract negotiations?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;)<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105501224075830689noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126425429597637260.post-15618182206114265562011-01-27T22:46:00.002-06:002011-01-27T22:56:27.882-06:002011's Top Five Cardinal StoriesI've been thinking about working on this UCB post for awhile now, but haven't really come up with anything worthwhile. Someone (not naming names since I don't remember) made it sound like I could write something sarcastic and completely nonsensical. Score!<br />
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So without further ado, here are our top five stories for 2011:<br />
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1. <strong>Adam Wainwright will win the 2011 NL Cy Young</strong>. Okay, this point is obviously legitimate. I really do believe Waino capable of beating out the fierce competition in the National League to take home the Cy. There are <i>a lot </i>of incredible pitching staffs floating around the senior circuit, from the Phillies on the east coast to the Giants on the west, not to mention the Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals in the middle of the country. There are big names like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Zack Greinke. That said, I think Wainwright can match them, pitch for pitch, out for out.<br />
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<i>Warning: That was probably the last 'prediction' that I actually think could happen. The rest is for my own entertainment.</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixP0_K9gW7wbiYRk4kwV-d_VAR_EpxZopb7X_-lFyl5Q1li8LgVRSiWzIUCYtg_TFhghNVXrYDlUWRzFGPfOCE41lgLoYoeidjEh5tpXhiPndd_iSYI0zXhE3p2tI7f3w3BK7_uPhlAEY/s1600/yadi+the+enforcer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixP0_K9gW7wbiYRk4kwV-d_VAR_EpxZopb7X_-lFyl5Q1li8LgVRSiWzIUCYtg_TFhghNVXrYDlUWRzFGPfOCE41lgLoYoeidjEh5tpXhiPndd_iSYI0zXhE3p2tI7f3w3BK7_uPhlAEY/s320/yadi+the+enforcer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>2. <b>Yadi starts a brawl in Cincinnati when Johnny Cueto kicks him in the shins during warm-ups. </b>Who knows why he did it. Cueto that is. Yadi beat the crap out of him, and we know why <i>that </i>happened. Don't mess with Yadi... especially not his shins. Watch your back, Reds' players...<br />
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3. <strong>The amount of scrappy and/or gritty references made about the Cardinals infielders on various blogs, highlight reels, radio shows and Twitter will quite possibly reach infinity.</strong> Good grief. Every new player that has been signed this offseason (with the exception of Berkman who is definitely not the right size or shape to be considered for either) has been labeled with one of these two monikers. Theriot? Punto? What is this? We already had both of those guys, except they were Brendan Ryan, Aaron Miles, and/or David Eckstein, respectively. Can you have too much scrap or grit on one team? The Cardinals might be pushing the limit. Quick, someone find a big slugger to hold together the infield! It would help if he has a good contract that makes him a Cardinal for life.<br />
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Wait, what's that?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM4gHfeGG3rXk96CZMplkkAsESdfQA4Fb2UYA1GvEksYbh_lA9QwLu70l6pHXP5lG0APo1xahex4P4be8QvYLWUB81jciI1YsnXJ1Y-nS95xjNQEJ9cU76ZbI0dznMo6GEY2Aw04i7Ns/s1600/albert_pujols.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfM4gHfeGG3rXk96CZMplkkAsESdfQA4Fb2UYA1GvEksYbh_lA9QwLu70l6pHXP5lG0APo1xahex4P4be8QvYLWUB81jciI1YsnXJ1Y-nS95xjNQEJ9cU76ZbI0dznMo6GEY2Aw04i7Ns/s320/albert_pujols.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"Pay me my money."</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yes, sir! Get on it Mo!<br />
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4. <b>All of our scrappy/gritty infielders come down with bird flu and Tony LaRussa, in a moment of desperation, begs that Mo undo's the trade with the Mariners for Brendan Ryan.</b> A stretch? Sure. Don't look at me. Erika penned this one. I mean... it could happen.<br />
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5. <strong>Kyle Lohse's arm will fall off.</strong> Again... it could happen (but Erika says I should be nice). He's never known a normal injury for a pitcher, whether it was getting a broken wrist while <i>batting</i>, having an injury only known to long distance runners and motocross bikers, or coming down with that frustrating condition known as crap-itis. Oops, that wasn't nice. My bad.<br />
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Let me be perfectly honest - I want Lohse to do well. I hope he becomes the best fifth starter in the National League. But in my mind, the odds of him doing well compared to his arm falling off have to be about even by now.<br />
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*~*~*~*<br />
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<a href="http://www.noticeorange.com/promo/AppPage?siteKey=agxub3RpY2VvcmFuZ2VyDQsSBFNpdGUYj8GXMgw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Open in Mobile App" height="48" src="http://www.noticeorange.com/promo/social_icon.png" width="48" /></a>If you're interested, check out the new UCB app for iPhone and Android by clicking on the little icon to your left. It's shiny and NEW! Also make sure that you check out the archive of all the Top 5 stories for <a href="http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com/2011/01/26/ucb-january-projected-top-5-headlines/">this month's UCB project here</a>.<br />
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Baseball season is almost here... just hold on a little longer Cardinal fans! :)Angela Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13132933906723358824noreply@blogger.com0